Main  Lnbt 


psKwrv 

OF  THE 
ALLEGE  OF 

_ri 


oz/Denwnstratioit- 


TOURTH  EDITION 


COPYRIGHT  1911 
BY  KIMBALL'S  DAIRY  FARMER 


Van  Pelt's 
Cow  Demonstration 


By 

HUGH  G.  VAN  PELT 

Editor  Kimball's  Dairy  Farmer 


PUBLISHED  BY 

KIMBALL'S  DAIRY  FARMER 

WATERLOO,   IOWA 


1***^ 

CONTENTS 


PAGE 

List  of  Illustrations 5 

Introduction    .  7 

CHAPTER  I. 
Five  Essential  Points  of  a  Productive  Cow 11 

CHAPTER  II. 
Constitution  of  the  Cow 19 

CHAPTER  III. 
Capacity 27 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Nervous  Temperament  35 

CHAPTER  V. 
Blood  Circulation   41 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Ability 53 

•CHAPTER  VII. 
Other  Desirable   Points 63 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

How  to  Secure  Cows  Combining  the  Five  Essential  Points. 67 

*'*«•»'       ,  V  ;l  */^ "   •'  '  " 

.    CHAPTER   IX. 
The  Accurate  Proof  of  flie'  CCAV'S  Value.  .  .  .81 


[4] 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page 

PARTHENIA  HENGERVELD — A  many  times  champion  Holstein  cow 
in  the  largest  shows  of  America.  Owned  by  W.  B.  Barney 
&  Sons,  Hampton,  Iowa Frontispiece 

BOSNIAN'S  ANNA — Champion  Jersey  cow  Iowa  and  National 
Dairy  Shows,  1910.  Owned  by  C.  I.  Hudson,  East  Norwich, 
Long  Island,  N.  Y 12  and  56 

AUCHENBRAIN'S  WHITE  BEAUTY  2o — A  champion  Ayrshire  cow, 

owned  by  Penshurst  Farm,  Narberth,  Pa 14 

COLANTHA  4TH's  JOHANNA — Former  champion  Holstein  cow  of 
the  world.  Record,  1,247.95  pounds  butter,  80  per  cent  fat, 
in  one  year.  Owned  by  W.  J.  Gillette,  Rosendale,  Wis 52 

First  and  second  prize  Ayrshire  cows  at  the  Iowa  and  National 
Dairy  Shows,  1910.  Owned  by  L.  A.  Reyman  Estate,  Wheel- 
ing, W.  Va.,  and  Ryanogue  Farm,  Brewster,  N.  Y.,  re- 
spectively    64 

BOGHALL'S  SNOWDROP — Champion  Ayrshire  cow  at  the  Iowa  and 
National  Dairy  Shows,  1910.  Owned  by  L.  A.  Reyman  Est., 
Wheeling,  W.  Va 10 

DAIRY  MAID  OF  PINEHURST — Champion  three-year-old  Guernsey 
cow  of  the  world.  Record,  1,102.07  pounds  butter,  80  per 
cent  fat,  in  one  year.  Owned  by  W.  W.  Marsh,  Waterloo, 
Iowa  18,  20,  24,  26 

JACOBA  IRENE — Former  champion  long-distance  cow  of  the  world ; 
2,053  pounds,  15.3  ounces  butter,  85  per  cent  fat,  in  two 
years.  Owned  by  F.  B.  Kenney,  Warsaw,  N.  Y...28,  34,  46,  50,  54,  58,  62 

LORD   MAR — An   undefeated   Guernsey  bull.     Owned   by  W.   W. 

Marsh,  Waterloo,  Iowa 70 

The  head  of  a  champion  Guernsey  bull 82 

HOWIE'S  FIZZAWAY — Ayrshire  bull,  Champion  winner  at  National 
Dairy  Show,  1909.  Owned  by  J.  F.  Converse  &  Son, 
Woodville,  N.  Y 76 

NETHERHALL  BROWNIE  IX — Champion  Ayrshire  cow.  Record 
1,025.11  pounds  butter,  80  per  cent  fat,  in  one  year.  Owned 
by  J.  W.  Clise,  Seattle,  Wash 66 

NOBLE  OF  OAKLANDS — Many  times  a  champion.  Sold  for  $15,000, 
highest  price  ever  paid  at  auction  for  a  Jersey  bull.  Owned 
by  Elmendorf  Farm,  Lexington,  Ky 68 

GLENCOE'S  BOPEEP — Champion  Guernsey  cow  at  the  Iowa  and 
National  Dairy  Shows,  1910.  Owned  by  W.  W.  Marsh, 
Waterloo,  Iowa  30-60 

SIR  BEETS  CORNUCOPIA  NETHERLAND — Champion  Holstein  bull  at 
the  Iowa  and  National  Dairy  Shows,  1910.  Owned  by  W.  S. 
Moscrip,  St.  Paul,  Minn 32,  72,  74,  78 

FINANCIAL  COUNTESS — Ex-champion  Jersey  cow.  Record,  935 
pounds,  10  ounces  of  butter  in  one  year.  Owned  by  C.  E. 
Parfet,  Golden,  Colo 40 

A  pair  of  great  cows  from  the  Island  of  Jersey 48 

The  head  of  a  champion  Ayrshire  cow 85 

MAUSER'S  QUEEN — Champion  Jersey  cow  Illinois  State  Fair,  1909. 

Owned  by  H.  V.  Prentice,  Worcester,  Mass 12 

PIETERTJE  MAID  ORMSBY — Champion  30-day  cow  of  the  world. 
Record,  145.66  pounds  butter,  80  per  cent  fat.  Owned  by 
John  B.  Irwin,  Minneapolis,  Minn 16,  22,  36,  38,  42,  84 

361794 

[5] 


[6] 


INTRODUCTION 

Present  day  competition  has  placed  all  industries  on  a 
commercial  basis.  The  successful  merchant  is  the  one  who 
can  sell  his  wares  at  the  lowest  price  and  still  make  as  large 
as  or  a  larger  percentage  of  profit  than  his  competitors.  The 
successful  professional  man  is  the  one  who  receives  the 
greatest  remuneration  because  of  the  value  of  his  services 
to  his  clients.  The  successful  manufacturer  is  the  one  whose 
methods  enable  him  to  produce  an  article  and  sell  it  at  a  price 
as  low  as  or  lower  than  that  asked  by  other  manufacturers 
and  still  make  as  great  a  profit.  The  farmer  who  produces 
products  on  his  farm  for  the  least  possible  cost,  quality  con- 
sidered, is  the  one  who  is  successful. 

There  has  never  been  a  time  when  the  farmer  could  not 
boast  that  of  all  humanity  he  alone  is  really  independent. 
To  so  great  an  extent  has  this  been  true  and  so  well  has  it 
generally  become  known  among  agriculturists  that  there  is  a 
likelihood  that  the  farmer  has  grown  careless  to  a  degree  and 
in  his  strife  for  higher  prices  has  overlooked  a  very  important 
point ;  namely,  that  a  dollar  saved  in  the  cost  of  producing 
100  pounds  of  any  commodity  is,  in  reality,  a  dollar  made, 
and  probably  the  easiest  dollar  that  could  be  made  upon  the 
farm. 

This  is  especially  true  of  the  dairy  farmer  or  the  man  on 
the  farm  who  milks  cows.  There  is  a  general  complaint  all 
over  the  land  that  the  dairy  business  is  very  confining,  and 
where  one  farmer  or  farmer's  son  is  found  who  likes  to  milk 
there  are  50  who  would  rather  do  any  other  farm  labor. 
Why?  Because  so  many  of  the  cows  are  not  worth  milking. 
The  conditions  under  which  they  are  milked  are  repelling. 
There  are  few  farms  on  which  there  are  not  from  10  to  75 
per  cent  of  the  cows  that  are  absolutely  making  no  profit 
whatever  and  many  that  are  a  source  of  loss  to  their  own- 
ers. In  the  days  when  butter-fat  was  selling  for  10  to  12 
cents  a  pound,  and  a  drug  on  the  market  at  that,  there 
might  have  been  some  excuse  for  the  manufacturer  of  dairy 
products  losing  money  on  some  of  his  cows,  yet  undoubt- 
edly a  larger  percentage  of  the  cows  in  those  days  were 
making  net  profits  for  their  owners  than  are  at  the  present 
time.  When  cows  are  kept  upon  land  worth  from  $25  to 
$50  an  acre  and  can  be  fed  corn  worth  from  10  to  12  cents 
a  bushel;  oats,  from  8  to  10  cents;  bran,  from  $10  to  $12 
per  ton;  oil  meal,  from  $10  to  $20  per  ton;  hay,  from  $3  to 

[7] 


COW  DEMONSTRATION 


$5  a  ton,  it  is  a  mighty  poor  cow  that  will  not  pay  for  her 
feed  and  make  for  her  owner  some  sort  of  a  net  profit  to 
remunerate  him  for  his  labor.  Farmers  complained  bitterly 
in  those  times  because  it  was  impossible  to  secure  more  for 
the  butter-fat.  Today  the  farmer  is,  in  many  localities,  re- 
ceiving an  average  of  more  than  30  cents  a  pound  the  year 
around  for  butter-fat.  If,  however,  he  will  look  the  prop- 
osition squarely  in  the  face,  he  will  find  that  with  corn  worth 
50  cents  or  more  a  bushel  ;  oats,  from  32  to  40  cents  a  bushel  ; 
bran,  from  $25  to  $28  a  ton  ;  oil  meal,  from  $30  to  $40  per 
ton;  hay,  from  $10  to  $20  per  ton  ;  and  other  foods  proportion- 
ately high,  he  is  making  less  real  profit  in  feeding  cows  on 
land  worth  from  $100  to  $300  per  acre  than  he  did  during 
those  times  which  he  called  hard.  This  statement  is  made 
advisedly  and  refers  to  that  class  of  cows  which  are  to  be 
found  on  the  average  farm. 

Farm  conditions  have  changed  so  radically  and  yet  so 
gradually  that  few  are  the  farmers  who  realize  that  they 
really  are  milking  a  number  of  cows  over  700  times  each 
year  merely  for  the  fun  of  doing  so,  and  yet  statistics  de- 
termined by  considering  the  number  of  cows  milked  in  the 
United  States  and  the  number  of  farms  upon  which  they  are 
milked  will  bear  out  the  statement  that  on  the  average 
farm  someone  is  wasting  annually  27.2  days  every  year  milking 
cows  that  return  no  profit  whatever. 

There  are  two  reasons  why  there  are  so  many  profit- 
less cows. 

First,  on  the  average  farm  cows  are  not  cared  for  properly. 
They  do  not  receive  feed  in  the  proper  amounts  or  of  the 
proper  character.  The  barns  in  which  they  are  kept  are  often 
dark,  damp,  cold  and  poorly  ventilated.  The  cows  are  milked, 
fed  and  watered  at  irregular  intervals  and,  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  they  are  not  seriously  considered  from  the  standpoint 
of  farm  profits.  Cows  cared  for  under  conditions  such  as 
these  are  victims  of  misfortune,  and  it  matters  little  how  well 
bred  they  may  be  or  how  excellent  their  individuality;  it  is 
out  of  the  question  to  expect  that  they  will  make  for  their 
owner  any  great  amount  of  profit. 

Second,  there  are  being  kept  on  the  farms  of  the  United 
States  a  vast  number  of  cows  so  lacking  in  breeding,  individu- 
ality and  ability  that  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  produce 
profitably.  It  makes  no  difference  whether  they  are  found 
on  the  common  farm  under  adverse  conditions  or  in  the  high- 
class  dairy  where  they  receive  every  possible  opportunity  by 
way  of  feed,  care  and  treatment;  they  will  never  return  a 
cent  of  profit  over  and  above  the  cost  of  the  feed  they  con- 
sume. 

[8] 


VAN  PELT'S  COW  DEMONSTRATION 

It  is  estimated  that  out  of  the  22,000,000  cows  that  are 
being  milked  on  farms  in  the  United  States  there  are  14,- 
000,000  that  are  entirely  unproductive  of  profits.  Half  of 
these  would  make  a  profit  were  they  properly  fed  and  cared 
for.  The  other  half,  or  7,000,000  cows,  are  unprofitable  be- 
cause they  belong  to  one  of  two  classes  of  cows — either 
poorly  bred  or  miserable  individuals. 

In  dealing  with  a  description  of  cows  and  the  building 
up  of  the  herd  to  more  profitable  proportions  the  subject 
must  be  confined  largely  to  the  same  economic,  commercial 
and  business-like  basis  that  the  manufacturer  uses  in  select- 
ing machines  for  his  factory. 

True,  the  dairy  cow  is  more  than  a  machine.  She  is  a 
living,  highly  nervous  and  rather  sentimental  being  and  in 
a  great  degree  governed  by  the  force  of  habit.  These  traits 
she  possesses  and,  in  addition,  if  a  good  cow,  all  the  qualities 
of  an  efficient,  durable  and  capacious  machine. 

It  is,  therefore,  significant  that  the  manufacturer  of  dairy 
products  has  a  task  even  greater  than  the  manufacturer  of 
any  other  class  of  commodities.  He  must  not  only  com- 
mercialize his  efforts  as  do  other  manufacturers  but  in  ad- 
dition he  must  cater  to  the  individual  traits  of  each  living 
machine  on  his  farm  factory. 

When  the  farmer  finally  realizes  that  in  reality  the  farms 
of  this  country  are  its  greatest  factories;  that  every  animal 
is  there  for  the  same  purpose  as  the  machine  in  any  other 
factory,  and  that  every  machine  must  do  its  part  well  if 
the  factory  is  to  be  a  source  of  gratification  and  large  dividends 
to  its  owner,  then,  and  not  until  then,  will  all  cows  milked 
on  the  farm  be  a  source  of  profit  to  their  owners;  and  not 
until  then  will  the  farm  boy  lose  his  desire  to  move  to  town 
and  work  in  factories  of  another  sort  for  a  few  cents  per 
hour.  Both  the  farmer  and  his  son  will  then  realize  that  of 
all  factories  the  greatest  dividends  and  interest  on  invest- 
ments are  returned  by  the  factory  the  roof  of  which  is  the 
sky  and  the  walls  of  which  are  the  horizon.  Because  of  this, 
and  because  of  the  human  interest  in  commercialism,  this 
book  will  deal  with  the  cow  more  largely  from  the  stand- 
point of  a  machine  in  the  factory  than  from  that  of  breed 
characteristics. 


[9] 


Form  and  beauty 


[10] 


CHAPTER  I 

Five  Essentials  of  a  Productive  Cow 

The  fundamental  functions  of  the  cow  are  production  and 
reproduction.  Her  intrinsic  value  depends  upon  the  efficiency 
with  which  she  accomplishes  these  duties. 

A  careful  study  of  any  great  producing  cow  reveals  the 
manner  in  which  she  accomplishes  her  purpose.  Viewed 
from  the  standpoint  of  production,  she  must  eat  and  digest 
food,  she  must  breathe,  her  blood  must  circulate,  and  she 
must  yield  milk  and  butter-fat,  all  of  which  is  work. 

If  her  efforts  along  these  lines  are  effective,  certain  por- 
tions of  her  body  and  certain  characteristics  assert  them- 
selves accordingly  and  may  be  termed  the  essential  points 
that  indicate  great  and  economical  production. 

There  are  five  of  these  essential  points  that  must  be 
present  and  well  developed  in  the  external  form  of  a  cow  if 
she  proves  herself  a  profitable  producer  of  milk  and  butter-fat 
under  present  conditions.  These  are  the  indications  of  con- 
stitution, capacity,  nervous  temperament,  blood  circulation 
and  ability. 

If  all  of  these  points  are  present  it  may  safely  be  con- 
sidered that  the  cow  will  be  highly  productive  if  she  is  given 
the  proper  care  and  the  treatment  to  which  she  is  entitled. 

Each  Point  Is  Vital 

So  vital  is  each  to  great,  economical  and  persistent  per- 
formance that  it  is  difficult  to  classify  them  in  order  of  im- 
portance. Each  is  dependent  upon  the  other.  If  any  one  is 
lacking  in  development  the  machinery  is  incomplete,  and  he 
who  milks  such  a  beast  does  not  milk  a  cow — only  a  part  of 
a  cow.  She  is  like  a  gasoline  engine  with  a  corroded  spark 
plug,  a  leaky  gasoline  tank,  weak  batteries,  an  undersized 
piston  or  an  inefficient  governor.  Satisfactory  results  can- 
not reasonably  be  expected. 

It  often  occurs  that  breeders  in  their  eager  desire  to 
breed  cows  of  phenomenal  ability  overlook  the  importance 
of  the  other  points,  and,  when  it  seems  they  have  succeeded 
in  their  achievements  and  most  excellent  results  appear  to 
be  secured,  it  is  found  that  their  animals  lack  constitution, 
and,  although  they  yield  almost  abnormally  for  a  short  period, 
they  do  not  have  the  strength  to  continue  with  the  heavy 
work ;  some  of  them  die  and  others  revert  to  the  state  of 


112] 


VAN   PELT'S   COW  DEMONSTRATION 

the  loafer.  Or  it  may  be  capacity  that  has  been  overlooked, 
and  consequences  equally  as  discouraging  occur. 

So  long  as  the  animal  may  draw  upon  the  stored-up 
tissues  of  the  body  wonderful  production  continues,  but  when 
this  has  become  exhausted  the  animal  is  not  capable  of  con- 
suming a  sufficient  amount  of  food  to  keep  up  the  work,  she 
declines  rapidly  in  her  milk  flow  and  is  retired  to  the  ranks 
of  those  that  lack  persistency. 

Such  cows  are  difficult  for  even  the  most  expert  feeder 
to  manage.  When  they  freshen  and  he  gradually  increases 
their  daily  rations  they  respond  readily  and  continue  to  do 
so,  reassuring  the  feeder  every  time  a  small  amount  of  feed 
is  added  to  their  ration.  Not  expecting  that  the  limit  of 
capacity  is  so  near  when  response  to  increased  feed  is  so 
marked,  the  cow  is  overfed  before  her  weakness  is  recognized. 

Great  as  may  be  the  development  of  all  other  parts,  if 
the  significance  of  the  nervous  temperament  is  overlooked 
the  cow  will  simply  loaf,  and  there  will  be  neither  greatness 
of  production  nor  persistency. 

In  the  same  manner  a  circulatory  system  of  the  right 
sort  dove-tails  with  the  other  essentials. 

When  this  system  is  sluggish  or  developed  in  such  a 
way  that  it  carries  the  blood  to  other  parts  of  the  body 
than  the  udder  there  will  be  a  rapidly  decreasing  milk  flow 
as  soon  as  the  maternal  instincts  of  the  cow  have  passed  their 
state  of  greatest  stimulation. 

No  Point  Can  Be  Overlooked 

Therefore,  in  selecting  and  breeding  cows  it  must  be 
borne  in  mind  that,  important  as  any  four  of  the  essential 
points  may  be,  they  are  to  a  great  degree  worthless  unless 
accompanied  by  the  fifth. 

Careful  consideration  of  all  the  characteristics  indicative 
of  these  essentials  will  by  experience  in  their  use  aid  greatly 
in  selecting  and  breeding  cattle  of  the  useful  sort,  and  many 
counterfeits  that  might  otherwise  find  their  way  into  the 
herd  may  be  discovered  before  it  is  too  late. 

To  avoid  confusion  and  the  overlooking  of  one  or  more 
of  the  significant  indices  of  development  or  the  lack  of  it  in 
any  part  it  is  well  to  acquire  a  systematic  method  of  examin- 
ing the  animal. 

Examining  the  Animal 

It  is  always  advisable  to  take  in  the  general  appearance 
of  the  animal  first,  for  in  many  instances  this  is  all  that  is 
necessary.  To  the  experienced  eye  the  first  impression  shows 
it  to  be  faulty  in  one  or  more  of  the  essential  qualities.  This 

[13] 


VAN   PELT'S   COW  DEMONSTRATION 

first  impression  is  always  gained  with  greatest  accuracy  from 
a  reasonable  distance  while  the  animal  is  standing  or  walking 
broadside  to  the  observer.  It  is  at  this  time  that  constitu- 
tion and  capacity  are  most  plainly  revealed,  and  never  will 
a  skillful  judge  decide  between  the  comparative  excellence 
of  two  animals  that  are  closely  matched  until  he  has  observed 
them  in  this  manner. 

As  a  rule,  if  the  first  impression  is  favorable  it  is  well 
to  walk  slowly  around  the  animal,  studying  it  in  the  same 
manner  on  all  sides,  remembering  that  all  animals  do  not 
present  the  same  appearance  on  both  sides.  This  exami- 
nation requires  but  a  very  short  time.  If  it  has  proven  satis- 
factory, and  a  further  study  of  the  animal  is  desirable,  it  is 
well  to  step  quietly  to  the  head.  After  noting  all  indications 
presented  there  the  observer  may  walk  slowly  along  the  side, 
as  he  goes  by  noting  the  form  of  the  neck,  and  by  passing 
the  hand  firmly  along  the  shoulder  and  backward  along  the 
spinal  column  he  learns  the  character  of  these  regions.  With 
the  other  hand  he  can  lift  the  hide,  and  at  once  there  will  be 
conveyed  to  his  mind  the  condition  that  obtains.  After  no 
great  amount  of  experience  he  will  find  that  different  animals 
leave  with  him  varying  impressions  as  to  quality  in  this  re- 
spect. , 

Hips  and  Rump 

The  comparative  width  across  the  hips  and  length  in 
the  rump  are  usually  apparent  enough  so  they  may  be  deter- 
mined by  the  eye  rather  than  by  measurement  with  the  arms, 
although  in  cases  where  animals  are  nearly  the  same  in  these 
parts  the  latter  procedure  is  sometimes  advisable.  By  stand- 
ing immediately  behind  the  animal  an  impression  of  the 
conformation  of  the  hind  quarters  is  obtained  and  all  nec- 
essary information  relating  to  the  length  and  quality  of  the 
tail  can  at  this  time  be  quickly  gathered. 

Mammary  System 

The  examination  of  the  mammary  system  should  now 
take  place  and  if  possible  should  be  made  in  detail  by  the 
use  of  both  the  senses  of  sight  and  touch.  Many  are  the 
indications  of  ability  that  escape  the  eye,  and  as  a  rule  enough 
mistakes  occur  where  both  faculties  are  put  to  work.  In 
completing  the  examination  of  a  cow  it  is  always  advisable 
to  milk  or  see  some  one  else  milk  her  in  order  to  determine 
certainly  that  there  are  no  defects  that  are  not  apparent  when 
the  udder  is  full. 

[15] 


Width  across  the  hips  and  through  the  thurls 


[16] 


VAN   PELT'S   COW  DEMONSTRATION 

Milk  the  Cow 

More  than  one  judge  of  wide  reputation  has  given  first 
and  championship  prizes  to  cows  of  very  inferior  merit  be- 
cause he  was  so  confident  of  his  knowledge  that  he  believed 
it  useless  to  have  them  milked  before  completing  the  ex- 
amination. Many  a  man  has  purchased  a  cow  and  never  dis- 
covered her  worthlessness  in  one  or  more  quarters  of  her  udder 
until  she  has  been  paid  for  and  no  recourse  remained. 

During  the  examination  the  observer  should  proceed 
promptly  but  he  should  not  hurry.  Although  alert  to  dis- 
cover the  lesson  told  by  each  part,  he  should  go  about  his 
work  in  a  manner  so  careful  and  quiet  that  at  no  time  will  he 
disturb  the  animal  under  consideration. 

After  considerable  experience  has  been  obtained  little 
time  is  consumed  in  the  process.  It  is  well  to  acquire  the 
habit  of  learning  with  certainty  all  that  is  to  be  known  of 
the  animal  in  the  shortest  possible  time  and  to  decide  upon 
its  merits  without  too  much  deliberation,  for  there  is  a  danger 
of  the  judgment  tiring.  When  this  is  the  case  wonder  and 
guessing  enter  into  all  decisions,  rendering  them  either  ques- 
tionable or  faultv. 


[17] 


An  open,  well  distended  nostril 


risi 


CHAPTER  II 

Constitution  of  the  Cow 

Of  all  farm  animals  the  dairy  cow  is  the  hardest  worked. 
She  labors  night  and  day  gathering,  consuming,  digesting  and 
assimilating  food  and  converting  the  nutrients  into  milk  and 
butter-fat.  Morning  and  night  she  returns  to  her  owner  an 
amount  of  finished  product  which  accounts  for  all  the  nutri- 
ents contained  in  the  food  she  has  eaten  minus  those  that 
have  been  absolutely  required  to  keep  her  body  in  a  healthy 
and  thrifty  working  condition  and  to  nourish  the  unborn  calf 
that  she  may  be  developing  to  perpetuate  her  kind. 

From  the  standpoint  of  results,  if  she  be  a  truly  pro- 
ductive cow  she  will  yield  greater  returns  to  her  owner 
measured  in  food  values  than  will  any  other  animal  he  may 
keep. 

Cow  Compared  with  Steer 

A  noticeable  example  of  this  fact  is  cited  by  Prof.  Eckles 
of  the  Missouri  Experiment  Station. 

Princess  Carlotta,  a  Holstein  cow  under  his  supervision, 
produced  in  one  year  18,405  pounds  of  milk  which  was  found 
to  contain  more  human  food  than  is  contained  in  the  complete 
carcasses  of  four  steers  weighing  1,250  pounds  each.  The 
following  table  gives  the  comparative  composition  of  the  sub- 
stances found  in  the  cow's  volume  of  milk  and  the  steer's 
carcass : 

18,405  Ibs.  milk  1,250-lb.  steer 

Proteid 552  Ibs.  172  Ibs. 

Fat 618  Ibs.  333  Ibs. 

Sugar 920  Ibs.  ...  Ibs. 

Ash..  .128  Ibs.  43  Ibs. 


Total 2,218  Ibs.  548  Ibs. 

The  whole  of  the  milk  solids  was  digestible,  but  this  was 
not  true  with  the  solid  material  in  the  steer's  carcass,  for  the 
548  pounds  is  the  record  of  the  dry  matter  and  includes  hair 
and  hide,  bones  and  tendons,  organs  of  digestion  and  respira- 
tion; in  fact,  the  entire  animal,  a  large  portion  of  which  is 
not  edible. 

Quoting  Prof.  Eckles:  "The  analysis  of  the  steer's  car- 
cass was  made  from  samples  taken  after  grinding  up  to- 
gether one-half  of  the  complete  carcass  and  is  not  in  any 
sense  an  estimation  of  the  composition,  of  the  carcass. 

[19J 


A  well  sprung  front  rib 


VAN   PELT'S   COW  DEMONSTRATION 

"Princess  Carlotta  produced  proteids  sufficient  for  more 
than  three  steers ;  nearly  fat  enough  for  two ;  ash  enough  to 
build  the  skeleton  for  three,  and,  in  addition,  produced  920 
pounds  of  milk  sugar  worth  as  much  per  pound  for  food  as 
ordinary  sugar. 

''These  figures  show  the  remarkable  efficiency  of  the 
cow  as  a  producer  of  human  food.  It  is  because  of  this 
economical  use  of  food  that  the  dairy  cow,  and  not  the  steer, 
is  kept  on  high-priced  lands.  When  land  is  cheap  and  feed 
abundant  the  meat-producing  animals  predominate,  but  when 
the  land  becomes  high  in  value  and  feed  expensive  the  farmer 
turns  to  the  dairy  cow." 

Continual  Production  Demands  Vitality 

To  accomplish  such  enormous  results  and  to  continue 
year  after  year  for  10  or  15  years,  which  represents  the  work- 
ing lifetime  of  a  good  cow,  necessitates  that  she  have  a  most 
rugged  constitution  and  much  vitality. 

But  great  production  is  not  the  only  tax  upon  the  con- 
stitution that  is  required  to  keep  her  in  working  condition 
throughout  a  busy  lifetime.  Nearly  half  of  the  time,  if  she 
lives  north  of  the  40th  degree  of  latitude,  she  is  stabled,  and 
in  the  majority  of  cases  her  home  is  far  from  being  a  healthful 
place.  Oftentimes  her  stall  is  in  the  basement  of  a  barn 
that  years  ago  was  built  for  other  purposes,  and  invariably 
her  quarters  are  devoid  of  windows,  rendering  them  dark, 
damp  and  poorly  ventilated.  From  one  year  to  the  other  no 
sunlight  penetrates  the  air  in  which  she  is. compelled  to  exist 
during  the  winter. 

Germ  life  flourishes.  Only  the  cows  with  the  greatest 
constitutions  are  able  to  resist  the  germs  of  tuberculosis, 
contagious  abortion,  pneumonia,  garget  and  other  diseases 
with  which  dairy  herds  suffer. 

Large  and  Small  Cows  Equally  Susceptible 

Very  often  the  dairyman  discriminates  against  one  breed 
or  another  because  he  believes  that  particular  breed  to  be 
more  susceptible  to  tuberculosis  than  others.  His  belief  is 
based  largely  upon  the  fact  that  the  breed  in  question  is 
small  in  size.  Nothing  could  be  farther  from  logic,  for,  were 
it  true  that  large  cows  had  greater  constitutions  than  small 
ones,  then  it  would  be  likewise  true  that  larger  men  are 
stronger  in  constitution  than  small  men.  It  makes  little 
difference  how  large  a  cow  is,  if  she  be  housed  in  a  dark, 
damp,  poorly  ventilated  barn  where  the  sun  never  enters 
she  is  just  as  liable  to  become  diseased  as  is  a  small  cow,  for 
the  disease  germs  are  without,  doubt  present  in  great  num- 

[21] 


[22] 


VAN  PELT'S   COW  DEMONSTRATION 

bers.  Likewise  it  may  be  true  that  it  matters  little  how  small 
the  cow  is.  If  the  organs  vital  to  constitution  are  greatly 
developed  in  proportion  to  the  other  parts  of  the  body  she 
will  more  likely  resist  disease  than  a  larger  cow  weaker  pro- 
portionately in  these  constitutional  parts. 

Large  Volume  of  Air  Essential 

Strength  of  constitution  depends  primarily  upon  the 
amount  of  pure,  fresh  air  that  enters  the  body  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  it  is  utilized  by  the  lungs  in  purifying  the 
blood. 

If  the  nostrils,  the  trachea  or  windpipe,  and  other  cham- 
bers through  which  the  air  travels  on  its  way  to  the  lungs 
are  large,  open  and  well  distended  the  volume  of  air  enter- 
ing the  body  will  be  large,  and  thus  far  the  indications  will 
point  to  healthfulness. 

Oxygen  alone  purifies  blood,  and  fresh  air  is  the  only 
medium  in  which  it  is  conveyed  to  the  blood.  Every  par- 
ticle of  air  that  reaches  the  lungs  and  comes  in  contact  with 
the  blood  passes  first  through  the  nostrils  and  later  through 
the  windpipe.  If  these  channels  are  small,  one  of  two  things 
happens :  either  a  small  volume  of  air  enters,  or  the  cow  must 
breathe,  more  rapidly  than  the  cow  with  a  large  nostril.  Ob- 
servation teaches,  however,  that  the  respiration  of  one  cow 
is  not  perceptibly  more  rapid  than  that  of  another.  There- 
fore, the  conclusion  may  properly  be  drawn  that  the  cow 
with  the  small  nostril  does  not  take  into  her  lungs  the  great 
amount  of  air  that  the  cow  with  the  large,  open  and  dilated 
nostrils  and  windpipe  does. 

Capacity  of  Thorax 

Quite  as  important  as  an  indication  of  vigorous  consti- 
tution are  the  size  and  capaciousness  of  the  thorax,  or  the 
chamber  in  which  the  heart  and  lungs  are  located.  Small- 
ness  or  lack  of  development  in  this  part  of  the  body  pro- 
hibits greatness  of  heart  and  lung  development,  resulting  in 
limited  stamina,  vigor  and  ruggedness.  To  insure  ample 
room  for  the  fullest  growth  of  the  heart  and  lungs  the  cow 
should  be  extremely  deep  from  the  top  of  the  shoulder  to  the 
floor  of  the  chest,  fairly  broad  in  the  chest,  deep  in  the  region 
of  the  heart  girth  and  well  sprung  in  the  fore  rib.  Cows 
that  are  at  once  narrow  and  shallow  in  the  chest  cavity,  tucked 
up  and  pinched  in  the  space  occupied  by  the  heart  are  always 
troublesome  and  never  persistent  feeders  or  producers. 

Although  reasonable  breadth  of  chest  is  to  be  desired, 
the  mistake  is  sometimes  made  in  laying  too  much  stress 

T231 


[24] 


VAN   PELT'S   COW  DEMONSTRATION 

upon  its  value,  and,  to  attain  breadth,  other  more  necessary 
requirements  are  sacrificed. 

It  should  be  remembered  that,  although  the  beef  animal 
and  draft  horse  gain  their  constitution  in  breadth  of  chest 
to  a  greater  extent  than  by  depth,  the  opposite  is  true  of 
the  running  horse  and  the  dairy  cow.  Just  as  truly  as  the 
horse  bred  for  speed  is  endowed  with  constitution  as  great 
as  or  greater  than  the  larger  and  heavier  draft  horse  so  does 
the  dairy  cow  compare  with  the  beef  animal. 

In  fact,  no  less  authority  than  Gov.  W.  D.  Hoard  makes 
the  statement  that  upon  following  50  head  of  animals  to 
the  block  he  found  that  the  heart  and  lungs  of  the  dairy 
cow  were  larger  and  weighed  more  than  did  those  of  beef 
animals  with  which  they  were  compared. 

Eyes  and  Horns 

Although  of  less  importance  than  the  considerations 
already  discussed,  it  may  be  said  that  usually  the  cow  with 
eyes  that  are  bright,  prominent  and  clear  and  horns  that  are 
rather  heavy  at  the  base  and  tapering  gradually  to  a  point 
is  more  vigorous  than  the  one  with  the  dull,  sunken  eyes 
and  horns  that  are  almost  as  small  at  their  base  as  near  the 
point. 

Certainly  it  is  true  that  diseases  of  the  heart  and  lungs 
in  advanced  stages  are  accompanied  by  dull,  expressionless 
and  oftentimes  sunken  eyes,  and  to  the  careful  observer  the 
first  symptoms  of  weakness  and  disease  become  apparent  in 
the  appearance  of  the  eyes.  On  the  other  hand,  the  character 
of  the  horns  and  eyes  may  be,  and  as  a  rule  is,  a  truer  indica- 
tion of  other  conditions  obtaining  and  does  not  denote  con- 
stitution with  the  same  infallibility  as  do  the  organs  of 
respiration. 

One  may  rest  assured  that  if  the  vital  parts  are  large, 
as  compared  with  other  parts  of  the  body,  and  the  animal 
has  been  permitted  to  breathe  fresh,  pure  air  not  infected 
with  disease  germs  during  her  whole  life,  she  is  quite  perfect 
in  one  of  the  essential  requirements. 


[25] 


Medium  sized,  incurving  horns 


[261 


CHAPTER  III 

Capacity 

The  capacity  of  the  dairy  cow  refers  to  the  total  amount 
of  food  she  can  consume  and  digest  in  a  given  time  with- 
out injuring  her  future  usefulness.  It  depends  upon  the  size 
and  strength  of  her  organs  of  prehension,  mastication  and 
digestion. 

According  to  Professor  Henry,  60  per  cent  of  all  the 
cow  can  eat  is  required  to  sustain  her  body,  and  only  after 
this  amount  is  provided  can  there  be  any  return,  to  the  feeder. 
This  being  true,  it  is  evident  that  the  greater  the  capacity 
of  the  cow  the  greater  will  be  the  amount  of  return  repre- 
sented by  the  40  per  cent. 

Capacious  cows  are  always  more  ravenous  feeders  than 
cows  lacking  in  the  development  of  this  characteristic,  and 
for  this  reason  they  are  less  difficult  to  feed. .  It  is  seldom 
that  the  feeder  who  uses  judgment  experiences  trouble  from 
such  animals  "going  off  feed"  or  sickening  from  the  effects  of 
heavy  feeding,  but  cows  that  are  limited  in  the  amount  of 
food  they  can  handle  are  a  continual  source  of  worry  when 
one  attempts  to  tax  them  to  the  limit  of  their  powers  of  pro- 
duction. 

Furthermore,  the  cow  with  great  capacity  according  to 
her  size  is  a  more  economical  producer  than,  the  less  capacious 
cow  who  as  a  rule  is  a  more  dainty  feeder,  for  the  former  will 
eat  foods  rougher  in  character,  and  these  are  often  cheaper. 

The  Heavily  Taxed  Organs 

More  apparent  still  becomes  the  importance  of  great- 
ness and  strength  of  feeding  and  digestive  capacity  when 
the  fact  is  recalled  that  of  all  parts  of  the  body  these  organs 
are  most  heavily  taxed  when  the  animal  undergoes  heavy 
feeding.  As  a  rule  they  are  the  parts  that  first  give  way 
under  the  strain  of  hard  work  of  long  duration  such  as  is  de- 
manded of  the  cow  when  her  efforts  are  commercialized. 

In  this  respect  she  differs  greatly  from  the  beef  steer 
which  enters  the  feed-lot.  He  undergoes  heavy  feeding  for 
a  period  of  from  four  months  to  a  year  at  the  most  and  is 
sent  to  the  shambles,  but  the  cow  to  be  a  desirable  individual 
must  be  fed  year  after  year  and  put  her  food  to  profitable  use 
throughout  a  long  lifetime  without  taking  time  to  rest  from 

[27] 


[28] 


VAN  PELT'S   COW  DEMONSTRATION 

feeding.  Even  though  there  is  a  short  time  each  year  when 
the  cow  gives  little  or  no  milk,  she  must  maintain  her  own 
body  and  nourish  the  offspring  with  which  she  is  soon  to 
present  her  owner.  These  functions  establish  an  additional 
demand  upon  her  to  consume  heavily  of  food  at  this  time, 
for  she  must  build  up  the  tissues  of  her  own  body  and  that 
of  the  unborn  calf  so  she  may  freshen  strong  and  in  good 
condition  for  the  next  year's  butter-producing  campaign  in 
which  she  must  make  good. 

Large  Mouth  Indicates  a  Good  Feeder 

So  well  do  experienced  feeders  of  all  classes  of  farm 
animals  realize  that  the  animal  with  the  large  mouth  is  a 
good  feeder  that  this  qualification  has  come  to  be  one  of  the 
recognized  indications  of  capacity.  The  animal  with  a  small, 
pointed  mouth  and  a  small  muzzle  is  always  difficult  to 
feed,  being  dainty  and  indifferent  to  efforts  to  tempt  its  ap- 
petite. Associated  with  the  small  mouth  is  a  corresponding 
smallness  of  nostril,  a  detraction  from  the  desired  facial 
features. 

Thorough  mastication  of  the  food  is  very  necessary,  for 
it  is  not  only  the  action  of  grinding  the  food  but  it  is  during 
mastication  that  the  first  process  of  digestion  takes  place. 
It  is  when  the  cow  chews  her  cud  that  the  saliva  secreted 
by  glands  entering  the  mouth  is  mixed  with  the  food,  changing 
starches  to  sugar  and  beginning  the  many  chemical  changes 
that  take  place  before  the  food  can  be  assimilated.  For  these 
reasons  strong  jaws  of  well  defined  width  and  depth  are  de- 
sirable. Weakness  in  these  parts  indicates  poor  feeding  qual- 
ities to  quite  as  great  an  extent  as  does  a  small  mouth  and 
is  to  be  guarded  against. 

A  careful  study  of  the  different  processes  and  the  many 
organs  involved  in  digesting  the  food  after  it  has  left  the 
mouth,  as  well  as  a  consideration  of  the  great  amount  of  food 
nutrients  necessary  for  the  maintenance  of  the  animal  and 
for  great  milk  production,  points  to  the  significance  of  an 
adequate  and  roomy  space  where  the  foods  may  be  stored 
and  digestion  carried  on. 

Large  Barrel 

This  entails  a  large  barrel,  one  that  is  long,  broad  and 
deep.  These  specifications  are  insured  by  length  from  the 
shoulder  to  the  hip  bone— broad,  flat,  well  sprung,  deep  ribs. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  often  occurs  that  close-coupled 
cows,  those  with  short  bodies  that  are  broad  and  deep,  are 
excellent  feeders  and  good  producers,  and  if  there  is  to  be 
any  sacrifice  made  in  the  dimensions  of  the  barrel  it  is  better 

[29] 


[30] 


VAN  PELT'S  COW  DEMONSTRATION 

that  length  rather  than  any  of  the  other  proportions  be  over- 
looked. 

The  cow  that  is  long  of  body,  slab-sided  and  shallow 
ribbed  is  seldom,  if  ever,  satisfactory  either  as  a  feeder  or 
as  a  great  and  economical  producer  of  milk  products  or  of 
offspring.  Even  though  she  may  yield  well,  for  a  short  time, 
she  is  not  persistent  and  soon  declines  in  her  milk  flow.  Any 
efforts  to  stimulate  greater  production  result  in  her  leaving 
her  food  or  sickening  with  indigestion  of  one  kind  or  another 
because  of  insufficient  capacity. 

Not  only  is  it  important  that  the  cow  be  capable  of  con- 
suming a  great  amount  of  food  at  one  time,  but  it  is  very 
important  that  every  possible  ounce  of  the  food  she  takes 
into  her  body  be  digested  and  assimilated.  No  portion  of 
the  food  is  used  for  any  purpose  except  the  nutrients  which 
the  digestive  apparatus  liberates  in  a  form  suitable  for  the 
blood  to  absorb.  All  other  portions  pass  on  and  are  wasted. 

It  may  be  that  some  cows,  although  voracious  feeders 
and  large  of  barrel,  do  not  utilize  the  food  they  eat  in  the 
efficient  manner  necessary  for  economy  of  production. 

Efficiency  as  Important  as  Size 

Strength,  power  and  efficiency  of  the  digestive  apparatus 
are  factors  quite  as  important  as  size.  They  may  be,  and 
quite  likely  are,  of  more  importance. 

The  condition  and  efficiency  of  the  organs  of  digestion 
may  be  determined  by  the  handling  qualities  of  the  animal. 
By  carefully  lifting  the  hide  from  the  body  there  is  at  once 
conveyed  to  the  touch  one  of  two  sets  of  conditions:  either 
the  hide  is  soft,  pliable  and  elastic  and  the  hair  covering  it 
soft  and  silky — or  the  hide  is  hard,  stiff  and  so  tightly  drawn 
over  the  body  that  it  is  impossible  to  lift  it  away  from  the 
ribs.  Such  hide  is  usually  covered  with  hair  that  is  coarse, 
harsh  and  wiry,  standing  out  from  the  body  rather  than 
lying  smoothly.  When  the  former  condition  exists  not  only 
quality  of  all  parts  of  the  body  is  indicated,  but  an  efficient 
digestive  tract  is  also  assured.  The  animal  will  consume  its 
food,  digest  it  quickly  and  be  ready  for  more.  But  when 
the  hide  is  covered  with  harsh,  wiry  hair  there  is  something 
wrong  with  the  digestive  apparatus,  either  temporarily  or 
permanently,  and,  even  though  the  animal  is  a  gross  feeder, 
the  best  use  will  not  be  made  of  the  food. 

Texture  of  the  Hide 

The  expert  show  yard  judge  during  the  course  of  his 
examination  of  the  animals  before  him  always  lifts  the  hide 
from  each  and  by  the  sense  of  touch  studies  the  quality  of 

C31] 


[32] 


VAN  PELT'S  COW  DEMONSTRATION 

the  animal  and  determines  by  the  texture  of  the  hide  and 
hair  that  which  he  cannot  see  with  his  eyes :  the  strength, 
power  and  efficiency  of  the  digestive  organs.  He  realizes  that 
the  skin  of  the  animal  is  a  continuation  of  the  inner  and 
vital  organs,  the  condition  of  which  is  reflected  through  the 
outer  medium.  That  these  indications  are  more  practical 
than  theoretical  any  successful  feeder  will  assert,  for  he  has 
noticed  that  the  first  indication  that  a  cow  is  reaching  the 
limit  of  her  feeding  capacity  is  not  when  she  begins  leaving 
feed  in  her  manger  or  when  her  voidings  assume  an  unnat- 
ural condition  but  when  the  eye  gets  dull  and  the  hair  be- 
gins standing  out  from  the  body  and  becomes  harsh  to  the 
touch.  If  these  first  warnings  are  not  heeded,  then  it  is  that 
the  cow  begins  leaving  her  food,  and  soon  the  softness  and 
pliability  have  left  her  hide  and  it  becomes  tight,  hard  and 
stifr. 

True  it  is  that  care  and  feeding  have  much  to  do  with 
the  condition  of  the  hide  and  hair,  and  likewise  they  have 
much  to  do  with  affecting  the  digestive  organs.  The  method 
of  care  and  feeding  that  adds  tone  to  the  vital  organs  makes 
itself  known  to  the  touch  of  the  judge.  In  other  words, 
those  parts  that  can  be  seen  and  felt  indicate  the  condition 
of  the  invisible  organs  rather  than  vice  versa. 

It  is,  of  course,  well  to  secure  in  one  and  the  same  ani- 
mal both  size  and  power  of  digestion,  but,  if  the  necessity 
presents  itself  of  sacrificing  a  portion  of  one  or  the  other, 
then  digestive  power  should  have  preference.  The  large- 
barreled  cow  of  poor  quality  will  consume  a  large  amount 
of  food  at  one  time,  but  because  of  her  sluggishness  she  will 
waste  a  portion  of  it;  but  the  cow  active  in  digestive  traits, 
eating  less  at  a  time  but  oftener,  will  eat  fully  as  much 
if  not  more  on  the  whole,  only  requiring  longer  to  do  so, 
and  she  will  make  better  use  of  it  in  keeping  up  the  con- 
dition of  her  own  body  and  in  yielding  milk  products. 


[33] 


[34] 


CHAPTER  IV 

Nervous  Temperament 

The  term  nervous  temperament  used  in  referring  to  the 
disposition  of  the  cow  means  the  inherent  propensity  to  work, 
to  eat  food,  digest  it  and  convert  every  available  ounce  of 
it  not  required  for  maintenance  into  milk  products.  Nervous 
temperament  does  not  imply  that  the  cow  is  nervous  in  the 
generally  accepted  meaning  of  the  term,  nor  does  it  mean 
that  she  is  excitable,  fretful  or  hard  to  manage,  but  that 
she  is  especially  strong  in  the  development  of  the  nervous 
system.  It  naturally  follows  that  such  an  animal  is  always 
alert,  active  and  responds  readily  to  all  surroundings,  whether 
they  be  favorable  or  adverse. 

It  is  this  nervous  temperament  that  enables  the  dairy 
cow  to  endure  for  a  long  period  greater  work  than  her  form, 
appearance  and  size  would  indicate.  It  is  the  quality  that 
gives  the  Arabian  horse  the  endurance  which  enables  him  to 
make  long  journeys  with  little  food  and  water,  and  the  same 
characteristic  is  termed  stamina  when  found  in  the  horse 
bred  for  speed.  In  the  dairy  cow  this  trait  stimulates  the 
function  of  milk  making. 

Lymphatic  Temperament 

There  is  another  temperament  that  is  found  in  beef 
breeds — and  often — in  fact,  too  often — in  individuals  of  the 
dairy  breeds,  termed  the  lymphatic  temperament.  Such  an 
animal  is  sluggish  in  disposition,  inclined  toward  laziness, 
with  an  inborn  tendency  to  convert  its  food  into  fat  and  self- 
ishly distribute  it  over  its  body.  This  temperament  is  one 
of  the  essentials  to  look  for  in  selecting  profitable  feeding 
steers  and  is  a  point  well  recognized  by  experienced  cattle 
feeders,  for  they  know  that  the  steer  which  fattens  readily  is 
the  one  that  gorges  himself  at  the  feed  bunk,  lies  down 
and  chews  his  cud  contentedly  with  absolutely  no  consider- 
ation for  what  goes  on  around  him  until  another  feeding  time 
rolls  around  and  he  hears  the  nubbins  being  broken  over  the 
side  of  the  feed  bunk  when  he  arises,  stretches  himself  and 
lazily  and  deliberately  walks  over  to  his  source  of  food  supply. 

Cows  of  this  disposition  are  an  unprofitable  kind,  indeed, 
when  compared  with  the  ones  that  at  feeding  time  stand 
at  the  gate  or  in  their  stalls  and  bawl  for  their  feed  or  at  the 

[35] 


[36] 


VAN  PELT'S  COW  DEMONSTRATION 

call  of  their  master  break  into  a  run  in  their  haste  to  reach 
the  feed,  to  fill  the  milk  pail  and  when  the  meal  is  finished 
shake  their  heads  and  wish  for  more. 

Loafers 

From  the  dairy  standpoint  cows  with  lymphatic  tem- 
perament are  loafers  and  as  a  rule  do  not  produce  enough 
milk  and  butter-fat  to  pay  for  the  feed  they  eat,  for  it  must 
be  remembered  that  all  food  converted  into  fat  that  is  dis- 
tributed over  the  cow's  body  when  she  should  be  giving  milk 
is  wasted  from  the  dairyman's  standpoint. 

The  great  need  of  the  American  dairyman  is  to  sort  out 
and  get  ride  of  these  low  producers.  In  the  bovine  family, 
as  in  the  human  family,  they  never  pay  for  their  own  board. 
Some  friend  or  relative  must  do  that  for  them. 

There  are  many  indications  of  nervous  temperament. 
Chief  among  these  is  a  face  that  is  broad  between  the  eyes, 
and  a  long,  broad  forehead  which  may  taper  to  the  poll.  It  is 
in  this  region  that  the  brain  is  located.  It  is  the  brain  that 
controls  the  nervous  system,  which  in  turn  governs  all 
functions  of  the  cow;  among  these  are  digestion,  blood  cir- 
culation and  milk  secretion.  If  the  face  and  forehead  of  the 
cow  are  narrow  there  is  sufficient  indication  that  the  brain 
capacity  is  limited  and  that  the  brain,  itself  is  small  and  the 
control  over  the  nervous  system  is  limited.  Nervousness 
more  likely  results  than  nervous  temperament. 

Temperament  Reflected  by  the  Eye 

Temperament  is  always  reflected  in  the  eye  of  an  ani- 
mal. A  large,  bright,  prominent,  placid,  alert  eye  with  an  in- 
telligent expression  gives  assurance  of  nervous  temperament. 
In  the  same  manner,  the  dull,  sluggish,  receding  eye,  even 
though  it  may  or  may  not  have  an  intelligent  expression, 
denotes  the  sluggish  temperament.  No  experienced  judge 
of  human  or  bovine  nature  overlooks  the  story  the  eye  tells. 

It  is  well  for  the  feeder  and  breeder  of  cattle  to  be  ob- 
serving at  all  times  of  the  lessons  that  may  be  learned  from 
the  eyes  of  his  animals. 

From  the  brain  the  spinal  cord  passes  backward  through 
the  spinal  vertebrae  or  back  bone.  Open-jointedness  and 
freedom  from  fat  indicate  nervous  temperament  as  repre- 
sented by  these  parts. 

The  statement  is  often  made  that  the  spinal  processes 
should  be  large  and  rugged,  indicating  good  development  of 
spinal  cord.  Anatomists  of  authority,  however,  assert  that 
the  higher  the  position  an  animal  occupies  in  the  scale  of  in- 
telligence the  smaller  and  lighter  the  cord  relatively.  It  is, 

[37] 


[38] 


VAN  PELT'S  COW  DEMONSTRATION 

therefore,  true  that  if  the  size  of  the  spinal  processes  are  an 
indication  of  the  size  and  weight  of  the  spinal  cord  they  like- 
wise indicate  a  lack  of  size  and  weight  of  the  brain  and  less 
intelligence.  Judging  from  this,  smaller  and  more  refined 
spinal  vertebrae  would  seem  to  be  more  desirable  as  indica- 
tive of  greater  brain  power  and  nervous  temperament. 

Freedom  from  Fat 

Prominent  hips  and  ribs  that  are  apparent  to  the  eye, 
and  freedom  from  beefiness  or  superfluous  fat  over  the  entire 
body  are  all  important  indications,  for  they  denote  that  the 
nervous  temperament  has  stimulated  the  conversion  of  the 
food  into  milk  and  butter-fat  rather  than  into  beef,  which 
would  be  the  case  if  the  animal  was  endowed  with  a  lym- 
phatic temperament. 

Add  to  these  points  style,  activity  and  freedom  of  car- 
riage, alertness  and  consciousness  of  all  surroundings  and 
you  may  guarantee  that  the  cow  possessing  these  is  a  worker. 
If  the  other  four  essential  points  are  present  she  will,  when 
given  an  opportunity,  be  a  source  of  profit  to  her  owner. 

To  the  great  development  of  nervous  temperament  pos- 
sessed by  Dairymaid  of  Pinehurst,  whose  butter  record  is 
1,003  pounds  as  a  three-year-old,  her  owner  attributed  to  a 
large  degree  her  marvelous  production. 

Not  only  does  she  possess  all  the  points  referred  to,  in- 
dicating that  she  is  a  worker,  but,  see  her  when  you  will,  and 
if  she  is  not  feeding  she  is  chewing  her  cud,  which  is  merely 
the  act  of  masticating  and  mixing  with  saliva  the  food 
she  has  gathered  and  has  just  found  time  to  chew.  So 
thoroughly  does  her  owner  believe  nervous  temperament  or  dis- 
position to  work  continuously  is  one  of  the  great  attributes 
of  a  great  cow  that  when  he  attempts  to  select  a  cow  for 
phenomenal  production  he  takes  his  time  after  considering 
other  points  and  sits  around  and  watches  the  actions  of  the 
animal.  He  learns  whether  she  is  a  worker  or  a  loafer  by 
noting  whether  she  works  or  loafs.  Perhaps  this  is  one  of 
the  valuable  lessons  Dairymaid  has  taught.  Certainly  it  is 
true  that  the  most  valuable  lessons  than  can  be  learned  about 
selecting  cows  are  taught  by  the  cows  themselves  or  by  a 
close  comparison  of  good  and  poor  individuals. 


(39] 


[40] 


CHAPTER  V 

Blood  Circulation 

After  the  cow  has  eaten  and  digested  her  food  the  next 
process  is  that  of  absorption  or  the  picking  up  of  the  nu- 
trients, carrying  and  distributing  them  over  the  body  where 
they  belong,  according  to  the  function  of  the  animal. 

In  this  respect  the  blood  circulating  to  all  parts  of  the 
body  plays  no  small  part  in  the  great  general  plan  the  cow 
adheres  to  in  making  milk. 

It  is  interesting  to  study  the  manner  in  which  cattle 
accomplish  the  purpose  for  which  they  are  kept.  At  feed- 
ing time  or  during  the  day  when  the  cow  is  on  pasture  she 
first  gathers  her  food  and  bolts  or  swallows  it,  because  she 
is  too  busy  at  that  time  to  masticate  it.  The  food  in  this 
condition  passes  into  the  first  stomach,  which  serves  largely 
in  the  ruminant  as  a  storehouse  for  the  food. 

When  the  cow  finds  time  she  regurgitates  the  feed  she 
has  secured  during  her  busier  hours  and  masticates  it,  which 
is  usually  termed  "the  chewing  of  the  cud." 

Then  it  is  re-swallowed,  further  moistened,  softened  and 
refined,  finally  reaching  the  fourth  stomach,  and  later  the 
intestines. 

During  this  course  it  comes  in  contact  with  different 
digestive  fluids  such  as  the  gastric  juice,  the  bile,  the  pan- 
creatic juice  and  the  intestinal  juices,  which  have  the  power 
of  taking  from  the  food  those  nutrients  that  are  digestible 
and  converting  them  into  a  form  to  be  picked  up  by  the  blood 
for  absorption.  It  is  then  that  the  importance  of  the  blood 
circulation  asserts  itself,  picking  up  and  transporting,  so  to 
speak,  the  nutrients  which  have  been  digested  from  the  food. 
The  blood  acts  as  a  carrier  and  a  distributer  of  these  nutrients. 

Every  feeder  of  farm  animals  should  be  conversant  with 
the  entire  process  of  digestion,  assimilation  and  the  distri- 
bution of  food  nutrients.  The  subject  is  of  great  importance 
and  a  complete  discussion  of  it  would  make  a  book  in  itself. 

Up  to  the  time  when  the  blood  of  the  animal  starts  on 
its  course  of  transporting  the  digested  nutrients,  the  work 
of  the  beef  animal  and  the  dairy  animal  are  largely  the  same, 
but  at  this  point  their  paths  divide  and  the  remaining  uses 
of  the  food  greatly  differ.  In  the  beef  animal  the  blood  for 
the  most  part  carries  the  digested  nutrients,  after  utilizing 
those  necessary  for  the  maintenance  of  the  body,  to  the  top 

Hi] 


A  network  of  veins  on  the  udder 


[42] 


VAN  PELT'S  COW  DEMONSTRATION 

regions  of  the  animal.  Here  they  are  distributed  in  the  form 
of  beef  and  fat  over  the  shoulders,  chine,  back,  loin,  ribs,  rump, 
thighs  and  twist. 

There  is  a  reason  for  this. 

For  hundreds  of  years  there  have  been  successful  breeders 
of  beef  cattle  who  have  striven  to  create  an  animal  that  would 
consume  a  great  volume  of  food  and  digest  and  carry  it  to 
those  portions  of  the  body  where  it  is  assimilated  and  manu- 
factured into  beef.  They  have  bred  animals  for  this  purpose 
because  they  have  been  advised  that  the  aim  of  all  their  ef- 
forts in  creating  pure-bred  beef  cattle  is  the  steer,  and  his 
end  is  the  block. 

Through  the  packer  they  have  learned  that  the  most 
valuable  cuts  of  the  beef  animal  are  to  be  secured  from  the 
portion  of  the  animal  above  a  line  drawn  through  the  longi- 
tudinal middle  of  the  body.  This  the  packer  has  learned  from 
the  retailer  who,  in  turn,  has  learned  that  the  consumer  ap- 
preciates and  is  willing  to  pay  larger  price  for  cuts  secured 
from  these  parts  than  for  those  from  the  underline  known  as 
chuck  and  flank  steaks. 

Milk  Production  Sacrificed 

The  breeder  of  beef  cattle  has  been  very  successful  in 
his  operations,  and  the  market  toppers  and  prize  winning 
show  steers  and  other  beef  animals  of  the  present  day  show 
yards  have  been  the  result.  Milk  has  been  sacrificed  be- 
cause the  milk-making  nutrients,  which  are  largely  the  same 
as  beef-making  nutrients,  have  been  carried  to  other  parts  of 
the  body  than  where  milk  is  manufactured,  for  a  cow  never 
made  a  pound  of  milk  in  any  part  of  the  body  except  the  udder. 

On  the  other  hand,  over  in  Holland  and  on  the  Jersey 
and  Guernsey  Isles  and  in  the  County  of  Ayr,  Scotland, 
there  have  been  breeders  equally  intelligent  who  for  even 
a  greater  length  of  time  have  striven  to  create  an  animal 
that  would  consume  a  great  volume  of  food,  digest  and  as- 
similate it  and  send  the  digested,  nutrients  around  to  the 
udder,  where  the  manufacturing  process  of  milk  and  butter- 
fat  production  are  carried  on. 

That  they  have  been  successful  in  their  operations  is 
evidenced  by  such  cows  as  Murne  Cowan,  Sophie  19th,  Tillie 
Alcartra,  Auchenbrain  Brown  Kate  IV,  Duchess  Skylark 
Ormsby,  all  world's  champion  cows.  This,  of  course,  has 
been  accomplished  by  sacrificing  the  production  of  beef  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  successful  creator  of  beef  animals 
has  sacrificed  the  production  of  milk.  Experiments  that  have 
been  conducted  show  that  the  dairy-bred  steer  will  make  as 
great  an  amount  of  gain  from  a  given  amount  of  feed  as  will 

[43] 


Prof.    Hugh    Van    Pelt   giving  his   dairy   cow    derm 


ration   at   the   Oklahoma    College  of  Agriculture 


Large  veins,  carrying  a  plentiful  flow  of  blood  through  the  udder 


[46] 


OF  THE 
COLLEGE  op 

PELT'S  COW  DEMONSTRATION 


a  beef-bred  animal,  and,  to  this  extent,  from  the  standpoint 
of  making  beef,  the  dairy-bred  animal  is  quite  as  profitable 
as  the  beef-bred  animal;  but,  owing  to  the  fact  that  for  gen- 
eration after  generation  his  ancestors  have  been  bred  for  the 
purpose  of  sending  digested  food  nutrients  to  the  underline 
of  the  body  rather  than  to  the  top  line,  when  he  reaches  the 
market  he  is  found  to  be  profitless.  He  is,  therefore,  dis- 
criminated against  to  the  extent  of  several  cents  per  pound 
by  the  packer,  who  knows  that  choice  steaks  are  not  and 
never  will  be  secured  from  the  underline  of  the  steer  or  from 
the  inside  fat  and  tallow. 

But  the  steer  is  not  to  blame.  He  did  just  what  his  in- 
herent characteristics  compelled  him  to  do.  For  too  many 
generations  had  the  blood  of  his  ancestors  flowed  to  the 
underline  of  the  body  for  him  or  his  master  to  change  the 
course. 

The  Cow  Not  a  Mysterious  Being 

Neither  can  the  cow  whose  ancestors  for  hundreds  of 
years  have  been  selected  and  bred  for  the  special  purpose  of 
beef  production  be  blamed  because  she  does  not  produce  milk 
as  profitably  as  dairy  cows. 

If  the  dairyman  will  permit  himself  to  consider  for  a 
moment  he  will  realize  that  the  cow  is  really  not  a  mysterious 
being,  and  it  is  absolutely  impossible  for  her  to  manufacture 
out  of  a  given  amount  of  feed  both  milk  and  beef  at  the  same 
time.  True  it  is  that  a  portion  of  her  food  may  be  manu- 
factured into  beef  and  a  portion  of  it  into  milk,  but  it  is  certain 
that  every  pound  of  feed  which  is  manufactured  into  beef 
while  the  cow  is  milking  is  absolutely  lost  and  wasted  from 
the  standpoint  of  milk  and  butter-fat  production,  and  every 
pound  of  feed  that  is  manufactured  into  milk  and  butter-fat 
is  absolutely  lost  and  wasted  from  the  standpoint  of  beef 
production. 

Thus  it  is  that  the  direction  in  which  the  blood  flows 
after  picking  up  the  milk-making  nutrients  is  an  important 
consideration  for  the  feeder  of  dairy  cows.  Likewise,  the 
volume  of  blood  which  circulates  past  the  digestive  apparatus 
and,  in  turn,  through  the  udder  or  milk-making  factory  has 
much  to  do  with  the  amount  of  milk  and  butter-fat  produced. 
If  the  volume  of  blood  be  great  and  the  cow  well  fed,  the 
volume  of  nutrients  will  be  great;  and,  in  turn,  if  the  milk- 
making  cells  are  efficient  and  numerous,  the  volume  of  milk 
will  be  large. 

The  volume  of  circulating  blood  and  the  direction  in 
which  it  flows  are  indicated  by  the  escutcheon,  mammary 
veins  and  milk  wells. 

[47] 


[48] 


VAN  PELT'S  COW  DEMONSTRATION 

The  Escutcheon 

The  escutcheon  is  that  portion  of  the  hind  quarters 
above  the  udder  where  the  hair  grows  upward.  At  each 
side  of  the  escutcheon  the  hair  grows  in  the  opposite  direction. 
It  is  a  theory,  and  probably  true,  that  the  reason  why  the 
hair  on  this  portion  of  the  body  grows  in  the  opposite  direction 
is  because  it  is  nourished  by  the  large  arteries  passing  into 
the  udder,  while  the  hair  on  each  side  is  nourished  by  other 
blood  vessels  in  the  same  manner  as  the  hair  on  other  parts 
of  the  body.  There  was  a  time  when  judges  of  dairy  cattle 
paid  a  great  deal  more  attention  to  the  size  and  shape  of 
the  escutcheon  than  they  do  at  the  present,  because  they 
probably  had  not  yet  realized  that  a  much  simpler  and  per- 
haps a  truer  method  of  determining  the  volume  of  blood 
passing  through  the  udder  was  by  the  mammary  veins. 

The  escutcheon  that  is  long  and  wide,  extending  down 
over  a  portion  of  the  udder,  is  an  indication  of  a  large  amount 
of  blood  passing  into  the  udder,  taking  with  it  large  amounts 
of  nutrients.  The  mammary  veins  are  found  passing  for- 
ward along  the  underline  of  the  cow  from  the  udder  toward 
the  shoulder  pits.  Every  cow  has  two  of  these  veins,  one 
on  each  side.  On  some  cows  these  veins  are  short,  straight 
and  small.  On  others  they  are  large,  long,  tortuous  and 
branched.  In  one  case  only  a  small  amount  of  blood  is 
passing  through  the  udder,  while  in  the  other  instance  the 
indication  is  that  there  has  been  an  extremely  large  volume 
of  blood  flowing  in  the  proper  direction  for  milk  production. 

Mammary  Veins 

Cows  differ  very  greatly  in  development  of  mammary 
veins.  Some  have  a  third  vein,  termed  a  center  extension, 
passing  forward  along  the  center  of  the  belly.  At  the  end 
of  each  of  these  veins  there  is  a  hole  in  the  abdomen  through 
which  the  blood  passes  back  on  its  way  to  the  heart  and 
lungs  for  purification  and  to  be  pumped  back  again  on  its 
former  route  past  the  digestive  apparatus  and  around  through 
the  udder  to  other  portions  of  the  body,  where  it  carries  nutri- 
ents for  the  maintenance  of  the  animal.  These  small  holes  in 
the  abdomen  are  called  milk  wells.  If  the  vein  is  small,  only 
a  small  milk  well  will  be  found  at  the  end.  If  the  flow  of  blood 
is  sufficiently  great,  the  mammary  veins  become  developed 
to  greater  proportions  and  in  turn  the  milk  wells  are  large. 
Oftentimes  one  well  is  not  enough  for  each  vein,  and  then  a 
portion  of  the  blood  passes  into  the  first  milk  well,  the  over- 
flow passing  to  a  second  well,  sometimes  to  a  third  and  oc- 
casionally to  a  fourth  or  a  fifth  well,  and  such  veins  are  known 

[49] 


[SO] 


VAN  PELT'S  COW  DEMONSTRATION 

as  double-extension  veins.  It  is  quite  often  that  cows  have 
double-extension  veins  on  one  side  of  the  animal,  and  oc- 
casionally they  are  found  on  both  sides.  Many  times  the 
veins  branch,  running  back  and  forth  across  the  abdomen 
and  extending  upward  on  her  sides  and  forward  in  certain 
cases  even  as  far  as  the  shoulder  pits.  Invariably  the  greater 
the  development  of  the  mammary  veins,  designated  by  their 
length,  size  and  tortuousness,  the  larger  and  more  numerous 
the  milk  wells,  the  more  productive  the  cow.  There  are  a 
few  who  disagree  with  this  opinion,  but  it  is  only  necessary 
to  examine  the  abdomen  of  every  cow  that  has  been  largely 
productive  as  compared  with  those  that  are  unproductive  to 
agree  that  much  importance  should  be  based  upon  the  mam- 
mary veins  and  milk  wells,  circulation  of  blood  and  pro- 
duction. 

I  have  never  seen  an  extremely  good  cow  whose  system 
of  mammary  veins  and  wells  was  not  extremely  well  developed, 
and  I  have  never  seen  a  really  poor  cow  with  a  great  mam- 
mary system.  It  has  been  my  pleasure  to  examine  such 
cows  as  Colantha  4th's  Johanna,  Jacoba  Irene,  Dairymaid  of 
Pinehurst  and  Financial  Countess  and  without  exception  their 
veining  is  tremendous. 

Milk  Wells         V 

In  the  instance  of  Colantha  4th's  Johanna  the  entire 
abdomen  is  covered  with  veins  ranging  in  size  from  that  of 
a  man's  thumb  to  that  of  his  wrist,  terminating  in  numer- 
ous wells  which,  in  turn,  range  in  size  sufficiently  large  for 
the  insertion  of  a  man's  thumb  to  those  only  large  enough 
for  the  insertion  of  the  small  finger.  These  indices  point 
to  the  fact  that  a  wonderful  volume  of  blood  has  passed 
through  the  udder.  Common  sense  bespeaks  the  necessity 
when  it  is  remembered  that  in  the  case  of  Colantha  4th's  Jo- 
hanna there  was  a  yield  in  one  year  of  27,432.5  pounds  of 
milk  containing  1,247.95  pounds  of  butter.  In  her  case,  as 
in  the  case  of  every  other  good  cow,  it  would  matter  little  how 
great  her  constitution,  how  capacious  her  digestive  apparatus 
or  how  strenuous  a  worker  she  might  have  been,  had  the 
greater  percentage  of  her  blood  flowed  to  the  top  of  her 
back,  carrying  with  it  the  nutrients  extracted  from  her  food, 
she  would  never  have  produced  the  wonderful  volume  of 
milk  and  butter-fat  which  she  did;  and,  although  she  might 
have  been  a  profitable  animal  for  the  butcher,  she  would  have 
been  worth  little  in  the  dairy. 


[51] 


[52] 


CHAPTER  VI 

Ability 

Ability,  used  in  describing  the  cow,  refers  to  her  powers 
of  performing  her  required  function  of  milk  giving.  Al- 
though ability  is  synonymous  with  capacity,  their  difference 
in  meaning  is  great  enough  to  justify  their  use  in  differ- 
entiating between  the  cow's  receptiveness  for  food  and  her 
power  for  manufacturing  the  nutrient  from  the  food  into 
milk  products. 

Given  vigorous  constitution,  large  capacity,  nervous 
temperament  and  copious  blood  flow  to  the  lower  regions, 
the  description  might  apply  equally  as  well  to  some  other 
animal  as  to  the  cow. 

It  is  the  fifth  point,  ability  to  produce  milk,  that  is  the 
great,  distinctive,  maternal  trait  with  which  nature  has  en- 
dowed all  mothers  to  a  degree  sufficient  to  supply  their  babes 
with  sustenance.  This  trait  has  been  developed  in  the  cow 
by  man  to  such  abnormal  proportions  that  she  has  almost 
become  an  artificial  being. 

Milk  Making 

In  all  nature  there  is  no  demonstration  of  ability  so  in- 
teresting to  the  dairyman  as  that  exhibited  by  the  udder  in 
taking  from  the  blood  feed  nutrients  and,  by  a  process  un- 
fathomable by  man,  manufacturing  them  into  butter-fat, 
casein  and  milk  sugar,  which  are  combined  in  certain  well 
regulated  proportions  with  water  and  given  off  to  supply 
the  necessities  of  her  infant  offspring  and  to  add  her  mite 
to  the  world's  great  milk  supply. 

Any  indications,  therefore,  that  denote  efficiency  in  the 
cow's  specialty  of  milk  giving  must  not  be  ignored.  As 
the  whole  of  this  important  work  is  carried  on  in  the  udder, 
this  organ,  with  its  accessories  alone,  remains  as  an  indication 
of  ability. 

Size,  form  and  texture  of  udder  development  are  the 
principal  indices.  Size  should  be  sought  in  length  and 
breadth  of  udder  rather  than  in  depth,  for  several  reasons. 
Largeness  of  udder  gained  by  depth  results  in  a  pendent 
udder,  one  that  hangs  from  the  body  and  dangles  or  swings 
between  the  legs.  Such  udders  are  disagreeable  to  milk. 
When  the  cow  lies  down  on  the  cold  ground  or  cement  floor 

[531 


[54] 


VAN  PELT'S  COW  DEMONSTRATION 

almost  the  whole  of  the  appendage  comes  in  contact  with 
the  cold  surface,  and  garget  or  inflamed  udders  and  spoiled 
quarters  are  more  liable  to  occur.  When  the  cow  stands  in 
or  walks  through  muddy  places  the  udder  and  teats  get  wet 
and  muddy,  and  the  least  of  the  troubles  that  follow  is  that 
far  too  much  of  the  mud  finds  its  way  into  the  milk  pail. 

Deep  Udder  Objectionable 

These  difficulties  can  largely  be  overcome  by  good  care 
but  the  real  vital  disadvantage  of  the  udder  that  is  large, 
because  of  its  depth  only,  is  that  its  joining  surface  with  the 
body  is  limited.  Along  the  body  pass  the  large  arteries 
through  which  are  carried  the  materials  for  milk  manufacture 
and  from  which  many  small  arteries  pass  downward  into 
and  all  through  the  udder.  If  the  size  is  obtained  by  length 
and  breadth,  a  greater  area  of  the  udder  comes  in  contact  with 
the  large  arteries  and  opportunity  is  presented  for  a  greater 
number  of  small  arterial  branches  to  be  given  off,  carrying 
in  them  the  blood  laden  with  milk-making  nutrients  to  be 
distributed  among  the  numberless  cells  that  form  the  working 
parts  of  the  udder. 

To  be  long  the  udder  must  be  attached  high  behind  and 
carried  far  forward.  There  is  no  danger  of  the  rear  attach- 
ment being  too  high  nor  the  front  attachment  too  far  for- 
ward. Cows  with  udders  the  front  and  rear  attachments  of 
which  are  both  to  be  found  in  between  the  hind  legs  are 
never  known  as  great  producers  of  either  milk  or  profits. 

Width  of  udder  development  is  determined  by  the  con- 
formation of  the  thighs.  If  encouraged  by  thin  thighs  that 
are  free  from  all  signs  of  beefiness,  they  must  curve  outward, 
forming  a  broad,  well  defined  arch,  which  has  its  beginning 
high,  insuring  breadth  at  the  highest  point  where  the  udder 
attaches. 

Thin  Thighs 

Beefiness  in  the  thighs,  as  in  any  other  part  of  the  body, 
is  to  be  guarded  against  so  that  in  instances  of  cows  with 
well  formed  hind  quarters  the  thigh  can  be  measured  with 
the  thumb  and  index  finger.  To  recognize  the  importance 
of  this  conformation  one  needs  only  to  investigate  the  size 
and  form  of  the  udder  hung  between  beefy  hind  quarters. 
Especially  is  this  true  with  such  pronounced  beef-making 
proclivities  as  would  excite  the  pride  of  the  breeder  of  beef 
cattle  or  give  assurance  that  the  cow  was  capable  of  winning 
prizes  in  the  show  yard.  Such  a  cow  approaches  the  fulfill- 
ment of  the  beef  cattle  breeder's  slogan,  "beef  to  the  hocks." 
Instead  of  being  able  to  measure  her  thighs  with  the  thumb 

[55] 


8 

I 
1 


.S 

Q, 

15 


I 


[56] 


VAN  PELT'S  COW  DEMONSTRATION 

and  finger,  both  hands  outstretched  are  required  because  of 
the^fleshy  filling  termed  the  twist  that  quite  completely  oc- 
cupies the  arch  where  the  rear  udder  appears  on  the  true 
dairy  cow.  Were  such  a  cow  endowed  with  a  well  developed 
rear  udder  she  would  be  at  a  loss  to  find  a  place  to  hang  it. 

Misshapen  Udders 

Many  cows  have  what  are  termed  tilted  udders — those 
that  are  fully  developed  in  the  rear  portions  but  greatly  lack- 
ing in  the  fore  quarters.  Slanting  as  such  udders  are  from 
the  hind  teats  to  the  abdomen  there  is  no  suitable  place  for 
the  attachment  of  the  front  teats,  and  they  are  set  either 
very  close  to  the  hind  teats  or  on  the  slanting  edge  of  the 
udder.  Such  cows  very  often  give  from  three-fifths  to  four- 
fifths  of  their  total  volume  of  milk  out  of  the  rear  quarters, 
and  it  is  reasonable  to  believe  that  if  the  fore  quarters  of 
the  udder  were  equally  developed  much  capacity  would  be 
added  to  the  udder  and  greater  milk  production  result. 

Pointed  udders  are  even  more  objectionable,  for  they  are 
more  lacking  in  capacity.  Such  udders  may  be  described 
as  being  short  in  their  rear  attachment,  extending  down- 
ward to  a  point  from  all  sides  where  all  four  teats  are  placed 
so  close  together  that  they  have  the  appearance  of  originating 
or  springing  from  the  same  hole.  Cows  of  this  character  are 
disagreeable  to  milk  and  seldom  yield  profitably. 

The  quartered  udder  is  the  one  that  is  divided  by  deep 
fissures  into  apparent  halves  or  quarters.  It  is  neither  sightly 
nor  indicative  of  great  production. 

Cows  of  the  Ayrshire  breed  are  generally  recognized  as 
having  udders  very  nearly  approaching  perfection  of  form 
and  extremities  of  attachment. 

The  Desirable  Form  of  Udder 

Of  all  forms  the  udder  most  desirable  is  the  one  sym- 
metrical and  uniform  in  the  development  of  each  portion. 
Each  quarter  and  half  should  correspond  with  the  others 
and  be  so  closely  connected  as  to  make  the  juncture  almost 
invisible.  With  size  added  to  the  udder  of  this  form  there 
is  ample  room  for  the  placement  of  four  easily  milked  teats 
of  medium  size  set  far  apart,  one  on  each  corner. 

Those  who  have  had  extensive  experience  with  dairy 
cows  can  call  to  mind  some  that  had  udders  complying  quite 
closely  with  this  description  both  in  size  and  shape,  but  they 
were  light  producers  and  unprofitable.  A  careful  examina- 
tion would  have  revealed  that  their  udders  lacked  quality 
and  texture.  Instead  of  being  made  up  of  milk-making  cells 
they  were  composed  of  fatty  tissues,  hard  and  resistant  to 

[57] 


[58] 


VAN  PELT'S  COW  DEMONSTRATION 

the  touch  and  equally  as  large  and  well  formed  after  milk- 
ing as  before.  Udders  of  this  character  always  point  to  a 
worthless  beast. 

As  an  indication  of  ability  to  yield  largely  and  econom- 
ically the  presence  of  quality  and  texture  is  all  important. 
Desirable  as  are  all  the  qualities,  size,  shape,  texture  and 
quality,  if  any  of  them  must  for  any  reason  be  sacrificed  in 
the  selection  of  a  cow,  the  two  latter  should  be  retained  at 
the  expense  of  the  former. 

Quality  of  Udder 

Texture  is  indicated  by  the  handling  qualities  of  the 
udder  and  the  hide  and  hair  covering  it  and  by  the  com- 
parative appearance  of  the  udder  before  and  after  milking. 
The  udder  pliable  and  soft,  yet  firm  to  the  touch,  covered 
with  hide  that  is  soft,  unctuous  and  elastic,  covered  with 
short,  fine  silky  hair  is  usually  of  proper  quality.  Then,  if, 
large  in  the  beginning,  it  collapses  during  the  process  of 
milking,  and  the  covering  falls  together  in  folds  that  are 
plentiful,  loose,  soft  and  oily,  all  quarters  of  equal  size  and 
shape,  there  is  no  indication  of  poor  quality. 

Often  cows  are  selected  when  they  are  dry,  and  then  it 
is  difficult  to  determine  definitely  the  size  and  shape  that  the 
udder  will  assume  when  the  animal  freshens.  The  height  of 
attachment  behind  can  be  discovered  but  only  approximately 
how  far  it  is  carried  forward.  By  the  manner  in  which  the 
thighs  are  arched  and  curved  the  width  of  udder  develop- 
ment can  be  estimated,  but  the  examination  of  the  udder  does 
not  truly  indicate  the  length  and  form  that  will  appear  when 
the  cow  freshens. 

As  for  the  true  length  of  udder,  the  best  indication  is 
the  length  from  the  hip  bone  to  the  pin  bone.  When  the 
cow  is  fresh  and  her  udder  is  full  a  plumb  bob  dropped  down- 
ward from  the  point  of  the  hip  bone  falls  immediately  in  front 
of  the  udder.  Another  dropped  from  the  pin  bone  falls  im- 
mediately behind  the  udder.  Consequently,  if  the  length  from 
the  hip  bone  to  the  pin  bone  is  great,  the  length  of  the  udder 
will  be  correspondingly  great. 

Short  and  Drooping  Rump  Undesirable 

Cows  short  from  the  hip  bone  to  the  pin  bone  invariably 
have  short,  pendent  udders,  and,  likewise,  those  long  in  these 
dimensions  have  udders  that  are  attached  high  behind,  ex- 
tending far  forward,  which  are  conditions  always  to  be  de- 
sired. 

Many  cows,  though  long  in  the  rump,  droop  from  the 
hip  bones  to  the  pin  bones  and  are  described  by  the  expression 

[59] 


The  rump  is  a  valuable  index  to  follow  in  selecting  dry  cows 


[60] 


VAN  PELT'S   COW  DEMONSTRATION 

"drooping  rumped."  This  conformation  not  only  detracts 
from  the  beauty  of  the  cow,  but  as  a  rule  those  cows  which 
droop  at  the  rump  also  have  tilted  or  slanting  udders  a  por- 
tion of  which  seems  to  have  been  cut  away,  and  this  naturally 
detracts  from  the  ability  of  the  cow. 

On  the  other  hand,  those  cows  which  carry  out  straight 
from  the  hip  bones  to  the  pin  bones  have  udders  that  are 
straight  on  the  bottom,  symmetrical  and  carry  well  forward 
with  each  quarter  large  and  uniform  in  size.  The  fact  that 
the  length  of  udder  can  be  determined  by  the  length  from 
the  hip  bone  to  the  pin  bone,  and  the  shape  of  the  udder 
by  the  manner  in  which  the  rump  is  carried  out,  is  likely 
due  to  the  law  of  correlation  of  parts,  which  enables  the 
anatomist,  when  he  finds  a  bone,  to  determine  from  its  di- 
mensions the  dimensions  of  every  other  bone  in  the  animal's 
body  from  which  it  came. 

The  association  of  the  drooping  rump  and  the  tilted  udder 
appears  with  more  certainty  in  families  than  in  individual 
animals.  In.  some  of  the  dairy  breeds  there  are  families  of 
cows  that  have  been  bred  for  many  generations  without  re- 
gard to  the  length  and  straightness  of  tailhead.  Invariably 
in  these  families  a  large  percentage  of  animals  are  found  that 
are  miserable  appearing  "critters"  and  at  the  same  time  are 
handicapped  in  their  ability  to  yield  profitably  because  part 
of  their  udders  are  gone. 

Even  though  in  certain  individuals  that  droop  at  the 
rump  the  udder  is  not  very  perceptibly  faulty  it  may  be  taken 
as  a  rule  that  if  offspring  are  continuously  bred  from  animals 
of  this  conformation  the  associated  characteristics  will  in  time 
follow. 


161] 


[62] 


CHAPTER  VII 

Other  Desirable  Points 

Form 

General  form  of  the  dairy  cow  is  a  .point  that  has  re- 
ceived much  consideration  and  has  been  the  topic  of  exten- 
sive discussion.  It  has  not  been  considered  as  one  of  the 
really  essential  points  in  this  book  because  it  is  doubtful  if  by 
securing  the  .accepted  form  of  the  present  day  authorities 
the  points  that  are  really  essential  to  great  and  economical 
production  will  follow,  or  if  by  securing  in  the  animal  the 
essential  points  for  production  the  most  desirable  form  will 
result.  Whichever  is  the  case,  the  great  improvement  needed 
on  every  farm  in  America  is  not  only  an  increase  in  the  yield 
of  the  cow  but  also  a  decrease  in  the  cost  of  production. 

By  selecting  and  breeding  cows  that  show  marked  indi- 
cations of  the  five  points  discussed,  great  progress  will  re- 
sult in  these  directions,  and  as  a  further  result  the  dairy  form 
as  called  for  in  score  cards  and  admired  by  breeders  of  dairy 
cattle  will  be  much  more  prevalent  among  the  general  rank 
and  file  of  herds  than  it  is  at  the  present. 

Beauty 

Attractiveness  of  appearance,  though  hardly  as  essen- 
tial to  great  production,  should  never  be  lost  sight  of,  for, 
other  things  being  equal,  the  handsome  cow  will  command 
the  greatest  respect  when  placed  upon  the  market,  and  will 
invariably  sell  for  the  highest  price.  If  beauty  were  an  in- 
dication of  small  or  costly  production,  then  it  might  be  well 
to  overlook  its  importance.  Who,  after  seeing  such  ccTws  as 
those  that  stand  at  the  head  of  each  dairy  breed  today  be- 
cause of  their  great  yearly  records,  will  stake  his  reputation 
for  good  judgment  on  the  assertion  that  it  is  only  the  broken- 
backed,  drooping  rumped,  tilted-uddered,  homely  creatures 
that  yield  well? 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  breeder  of 
dairy  cattle  who  will  be  most  successful  in  the  future  will 
be  the  one  who,  because  of  the  perfection  of  form  and  con- 
formation and  beauty  of  contour  of  his  animals,  is  able  to 
win  laurels  in  the  show  yard,  and  with  the  same  animals 

[63] 


[64] 


VAN   PELT'S   COW  DEMONSTRATION 

produce  records  that  are  large  enough  to  prove  beyond  a 
doubt  that  the  handsome  cows  are  the  profitable  kind  to 
keep  on  the  farm  and  in  the  dairy.  Working  the  show  ani- 
mals and  showing  the  working  animals  is  the  great. neces- 
sity that  is  now  being  recognized  by  breeders  of  dairy  cattle 
for  making  popular  the  breeds  and  stimulating  demand  for 
the  blood. 


Breed  Type 


Dairy  breeds  differ  greatly  in  color  markings,  size,  yield 
and  quality  of  milk  and  in  several  other  minor  ways.  How- 
ever, having  been  bred  for  so  many  generations  with  the 
same  real  purpose  in  view,  yielding  butter-fat  profitably,  they 
do  not  differ  greatly  in  this  particular.  There  is  at  this  time 
more  difference  between  the  productive  ability  of  various 
animals  in  any  particular  breed  than  there  is  between  the  dif- 
ferent breeds. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  to  go  into  a  discussion  of  breed 
type  further  than  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  those 
characteristics  peculiar  to  the  breed  are  distinguishing  fea- 
tures and  must  be  given  due  consideration  by  the  breeders 
of  pure-bred  dairy  cattle  and  by  the  show-ring  judge.  These 
features  are  important  in  that  they  denote  that  the  animal 
carries  the  blood  lines  of  the  particular  breed  she  resembles, 
and  her  production  may  be  estimated  accordingly.  It  is, 
therefore,  reasonable  to  expect  that  with  given  form  and 
conformation  she  will  yield  milk  in  quantity  and  quality  much 
like  the  breed  from  which  she  is  a  descendant. 

Color 

Color  is  a  breed  characteristic  rather  than  a  factor  in  the 
determination  of  the  value  of  the  cow.  It  has  had  much  to  do 
in  making  the  history  of  some  breeds  and  many  herds.  Many 
a  great  animal  has  been  sacrificed  because  its  color  markings 
did  not  meet  the  approval  of  its  breeder.  Color  has  much  to 
do  in  giving  uniformity  of  appearance  to  a  breed  or  to  a  herd, 
but  it  should  never  be  the  controlling  factor  in  selecting  cows 
for  production. 

Like  many  other  of  the  less  important  yet  desirable 
characteristics,  it  is  an  excellent  plan  to  seek  them  through 
the  sire,  special  care  being  taken  that  other  and  more  im- 
portant requirements  are  not  sacrificed. 

Size 

Considered  from  the  standpoint  of  the  beginner  in  the 
dairy  business  or  in  the  breeding  of  dairy  cattle,  size  is  the  one 

[651 


VAN  PELT'S  COW  DEMONSTRATION 

great  controlling  factor.  He  selects  cows  that  are  large,  re- 
gardless of  all  other  considerations.  This  is  probably  be- 
cause his  earlier  training  has  been  with  beef  breeds  of  cattle 
and  his  past  experience  leads  him  to  believe  that  small  cows 
are  delicate,  small  producers  and  unprofitable. 

Size  is  an  admirable  feature  when  it  can  be  secured  with- 
out a  loss  of  quality,  but  all  experience  proves  that  in  making- 
a  choice  between  two  cows,  one  excellent  in  quality  but  small 
and  the  other  large  but  coarse  arid  lacking  a  symmetrical  de- 
velopment of  the  essential  parts,  the  former  is  always  to  be 
chosen. 


Great  producers  are  economical  producers 


[66] 


CHAPTER  VIII 

How  to  Secure  Cows  Combining  the 
Five  Essential  Points 

Although  there  are  millions  of  cows  being  milked  on  the 
farms  of  the  United  States,  there  are  comparatively  few  that 
are  not  markedly  deficient  in  one  or  more  of  the  points  that 
denote  real  worth. 

It  is  a  well  recognized  fact  that  a  great  majority  of  the 
cows  milked  today  are  no  better  than  the  cows  that  were 
being  milked  50  years  ago,  although  there  are  many  breeders 
and  dairymen  that  have  made  great  advancement.  They  have 
improved  their  herds  by  selection  and  breeding  and  have 
pointed  out  to  the  world  not  only  the  possibilities  that  rest 
with  the  dairy  cow  but  also  the  manner  in  which  great  cows 
can  be  produced. 

Those  who  own  cows  well  developed  in  all  of  the  five 
essential  points  are  not  desirous  of  parting  with  them  be- 
cause such  a  cow  is  always  recognized  by  the  intelligent 
owner  as  a  most  profitable  animal.  She  returns  annually 
more  net  profit  than  any  other  animal  on  the  farm  and  in 
many  instances  more  profit  than  her  selling  price  would 
amount  to  were  she  to  be  offered  for  sale.  For  this  reason, 
although  cows  excellent  in  productive  characteristics  can  be 
bought  by  the  hundreds,  they  are  very  high-priced  as  com- 
pared with  common  cow  values.  Nevertheless,  they  are  worth 
many  times  as  much  and,  rather  than  to  milk  a  lot  of  cows 
that  range  from  a  loss  to  only  a  few  dollars'  profit  annually, 
it  is  advisable  to  bear  in  mind  the  points  of  a  good  cow.  Se- 
cure, in  all  events,  those  that  will  return  annual  profits  rang- 
ing from  $50  upward,  for  such  an  increase  will  pay  interest 
on  a  greatly  advanced  cost  price  and  at  the  same  time  pay  for 
the  cow  in  a  short  time. 

More  Good  Cows  Needed 

Such  cows  should  be  numerous  on  every  farm  in  America, 
and,  no  doubt,  the  time  is  close  at  hand  when  they  will  be. 
With  land  increasing  rapidly  in  value,  foodstuffs  and  labor 
becoming  expensive  and  scarce,  he  who  milks  is  soon  going 
to  realize  that  it  is  a  costly  luxury  to  keep  cows  that  do  not 
pay  a  profit  on  the  feed  and  labor  expended  upon  them,  even 

[67] 


VAN   PELT'S  COW  DEMONSTRATION 

though  they  do  prove  themselves  extremely  valuable  in  keep- 
ing up  the  fertility  of  the  farm. 

The  scarcity  and  high  price  of  good  cows  render  it 
impossible  for  everyone,  or  even  a  large  proportion  of  those 
who  milk  cows,  to  dispose  of  the  animals  they  are  now  milk- 
ing and  fill  their  places  with  the  more  desirable  type. 

There  is  a  method,  however,  of  superseding  the  common 
cow  with  good  individuals  that  is  practical  and  advisable. 
That  is  by  selection  and  breeding. 

Every  breed  of  improved  live  stock  known  today  has 
been  developed  by  following  well  known  laws  of  breeding 
and  selection.  The  -greatest  of  these  laws  is  "like  begets 
like  or  the  likeness  of  some  ancestor."  Never  was  there  a 
law  more  true,  and  he  who  is  satisfied  to  milk  and  breed 
offspring  from  non-productive  cows  with  the  same  sort  of 
ancestry  may  rest  assured  that  he  will  never  secure  a  great 
cow  during  the  lifetime  of  drudgery  that  milking  scrub 
cows  assures. 


Improved  Sires 

The  solution  of  the  problem  of  stocking  farms  with  good 
cows  rests  largely  upon  the  use  of  improved  sires.  The 
first  consideration  in  selecting  a  sire  should  be  the  productive 
records  of  his  maternal  ancestry,  that  of  his  dam  being  the 
most  important  but  dependent  upon  the  records  and  individ- 
uality of  the  granddams,  great-granddams  and  back  through 
the  pedigree  for  at  least  six  generations. 

There  are  many  who  would  not  think  of  using  other 
than  a  pure-bred  recorded  sire  and  still  in  making  the  selec- 
tion no  consideration  is  given  except  the  question  of  whether 
or  not  "papers"  accompany  the  bull.  These  papers  are  always 
valuable,  not  so  much  because  they  indicate  that  the  animal 
is  pure  bred,  as  because  they  tell  of  the  history  of  the  animal's 
ancestry.  Thousands  of  pure-bred  bulls  are  in  use  at  this 
time  whose  purity  of  blood  is  boasted  by  their  owners  yet 
whose  pedigrees  say :  "This  bull's  ancestors  back  for  six  gen- 
erations were  all  veritable  scrubs  from  the  standpoint  of  milk 
and  butter-fat  production,  for  there  never  has  been  a  cow 
in  the  whole  family  that  would  give  enough  milk  to  raise  her 
calf  respectably."  "Like  produces  like  or  the  likeness  of 
some  ancestor."  It  makes  no  difference  how  good  the  cows 
in  the  present  generation,  the  use  of  such  a  bull  means  retro- 
gression and  accounts  for  the  fact  that,  on  the  general  farm, 
cows  are  becoming  poorer  every  generation.  Bulls  are  being 
sold  to  thoughtless  farmers  at  high  prices  under  the  cloak 
of  registration  papers,  regardless  of  the  story  the  papers  tell. 
It  is  the  same  old  story  of  the  signature  on  the  contract  re- 

[69] 


[70] 


VAN   PELT'S  COW  DEMONSTRATION 

appearing  as  the  signature  of  a  note  because  the  indorser  did 
not  read  the  contract  which  contained  the  information. 

The  Valuable  Pedigree 

The  pedigree  that  foretells  improvement  in  future  gen- 
erations is  the  one  that  points  out  that  the  females  whose 
names  and  records  compose  it  have  all  been  great  yielders 
of  milk,  butter-fat  and  profits.  As  surely  as  like  produces 
like  or  the  likeness  of  some  ancestor,  such  a  sire  will  produce 
offspring  that  are  an  improvement  over  their  mothers  from 
the  standpoint  of  production.  This  is  the  great  value  of  a 
bull.  Worthless,  indeed,  and  an  expensive  possession  is  the 
bull  whose  daughters  at  the  same  age  and  under  the  same 
conditions  produce  less  butter  in  a  given  time  than  their 
mothers  did. 

After  a  careful  consideration  of  the  information  imparted 
by  the  pedigree,  the  individuality  of  the  animal  should  be 
considered.  Perhaps  the  first  consideration  should  be  whether 
he  has  the  prepotency  necessary  for  the  reproduction  of  the 
valuable  traits  of  his  ancestors.  This  is  indicated  by  mas- 
culinity and  character.  If  present,  the  animal  will  have  the 
appearance  and  instincts  of  a  bull  expressed  in  his  every 
characteristic. 

Essential  Points  of  the  Bull 

In  addition,  every  point  indicative  of  production  in  the 
cow  should  be  present  in  the  contour  of  the  bull.  He  should 
be  outstanding  in  all  indications  of  constitution,  capacity, 
nervous  temperament,  blood  circulation  and  ability. 

To  determine  the  presence  or  detect  the  absence  of  any 
of  these  essentials,  the  examination  should  begin  at  the  head 
and  end  at  the  tip  of  the  tail.  The  following  description 
should  be  complied  with : 

The  nostrils  should  be  large  and  open ;  the  mouth  large ; 
the  jaws  broad,  wide  and  strong;  the  face  long  and  clean-cut 
from  the  eye  to  the  nose  and  extremely  broad  between  eyes 
that  are  large,  prominent,  yet  placid  and  expressive.  The 
horns,  though  heavy  at  the  base,  should  be  of  reasonable 
size  and  not  coarse;  the  ear,  of  medium  size,  rather  than 
coarse,  and  covered  with  short,  fine  hair  instead  of  that  which 
is  long,  coarse  and  wiry.  The  neck  should  be  long,  clean- 
cut  in  the  throat  latch,  well  developed  in  the  region  of  the 
windpipe  and  well  crested  on  top,  denoting  masculinity.  ^  A 
head  and  neck  of  this  description  go  far  toward  indicating 
constitution,  capacity,  nervous  temperament,  character  and 
prepotency,  all  of  which  are  desirable  points  to  be  transmitted 
to  the  offspring. 

[71] 


[72] 


VAN   PELT'S   COW  DEMONSTRATION 

The  shoulders  should  be  oblique  and  not  coarse,  although 
masculinity  encourages  coarseness  to  some  extent,  and  bulls 
are  always  heavier,  comparatively,  in  the  front  quarters  than 
cows.  Depth  of  chest  and  obliqueness  of  shoulders  tend  to- 
ward narrowness  at  the  withers.  There  being  no  reason  for 
width  at  this  point,  it  is  a  mark  of  excellency  for  the  top  of 
the  shoulders  to  be  pointed,  giving  the  animal  a  wedge-shaped 
appearance  when  viewed  from  in  front. 

As  further  indications  of  constitution,  capacity  and  quality, 
the  heart  girth  and  barrel  should  be  long  and  deep,  the  ribs 
deep  and  well  sprung,  and  the  body  covered  with  hide  that 
is  soft,  pliable,  elastic  and  oily,  the  hair  fine  and  silky.  These 
points,  with  the  exception  of  the  character  of  the  hide  and 
hair,  are  more  evident  in  the  male  than  in  the  female,  and, 
therefore,  more  readily  distinguished.  Furthermore,  in  the 
well  bred  sire  of  proper  form  the  back  bone  shows  greater 
development,  is  more  open  jointed  and  larger,  and,  like  the 
well  bred  cow  of  desirable  conformation,  there  is  an  absolute 
freedom  from  beefiness  in  these  regions  and  over  the  entire 
body. 

Much  consideration  should  be  given  the  hind  quarters  of 
the  animal,  for  these  parts  indicate  the  ability  he  is  liable  to 
transmit  to  his  female  offspring.  Reasonable  width  between 
prominent  hip  bones,  great  length  and  straightness  from  the 
hip  to  the  pin  bones  and  width  through  the  thurls  indicate 
that  there  will  be  a  like  conformation  in  the  calves. 

In  the  case  of  heifer  calves  these  points  indicate  that  when 
they  have  grown  to  cowhood  they  will  have  roomy,  pro- 
ductive organs  and  long,  well  balanced  udders.  If  the  bull's 
rump  is  short  and*  drooping,  and  there  is  narrowness  between 
the  thurls.  it  is  quite  likely  that  his  calves  will  be  of  the  same 
conformation  and  few,  if  any,  well  formed  and  well  balanced 
udders  will  result  from  his  use. 

Viewed  from  behind,  the  thighs  should  be  thin,  well 
curved  and  free  from  fat  and  beef,  forming  an  arch  that  is  at 
once  high  and  broad.  By  conveying  the  same  peculiarity  to 
his  effeminate  offspring  suitable  provision  is  made  for  the 
placement  of  an  udder  that  may  be  wide  and  hung  well  up 
behind.  Bulls  beefy  in  the  hind  quarters  and  not  cut  well 
up  behind  should  be  guarded  against,  as  their  heifers  are 
seldom  of  a  desirable  sort. 

As  an  indication  of  the  size  of  the  udders  and  the  place- 
ment of  the  teats  on  the  progeny  of  the  bull  the  rudimentary 
teats  which  should  be  found  forward  on  the  scrotum  should 
be  recognized  as  an  index.  It  is  believed  that  if  these  teats 
are  large  the  teats  of  the  female  progeny  will  be  large,  and  if 
the  rudimentaries  are  placed  far  apart  the  teats  on  his  daugh- 
ters will  be  placed  far  apart.  In  addition  to  being  a  desirable 

[73] 


[74] 


VAN   PELT'S  COW  DEMONSTRATION 

trait,  this  is  an  indication  that  the  udder  will  be  both  long 
and  wide.  . 

Mammary  veins  and  milk  wells  are  important  points  to 
observe  in  selecting  sires,  for,  as  in  the  cow,  they  indicate 
the  volume  of  blood  flowing  to  the  lower  parts  of  the  body. 
Insomuch  as  it  is  so  important  that  there  be  a  great  flow  of 
blood  through  the  udder  of  the  cow,  it  is  necessary  that  the 
characteristics  of  the  bull  indicate  that  he  will  transmit  that 
trait  to  his  descendants. 

Bulls  differ  greatly  in  size,  length  and  development  of 
mammary  veins  much  as  do  cows.  Some  of  them  have  large 
veins  that  pass  as  far  forward  as  the  shoulder  pits.  Others 
have  veins  that  are  small  and  short  with  no  signs  of  branches 
and  ending  in  milk  wells  that  are  so  small  that  they  are 
difficult  to  find.  It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  a  bull's  veins  and 
wells  will  be  as  large  as  those  of  the  cow  for  the  Same  reason 
that  the  veins  of  a  young  heifer  or  a  cow  far  advanced  in  the 
period  of  lactation  will  not  be  as  large  as  those  of  an  older 
cow  or  one  that  is  giving  a  large  flow  of  milk.  Heavy  pro- 
duction develops  the  size,  and  it  is  noticeable  that  cows  well 
fed  and  forced  to  yield  large  amounts  of  ilk  for  a  long  period 
exhibit  greater  veins  and  wells  than  those  that  have  never 
been  stimulated  to  do  their  best.  Neverthless,  the  presence 
of  large,  tortuous,  long,  branching  veins  and  large,  numerous 
milk  wells  on  the  sire  indicate  that  his  heifers  will  have  cor- 
respondingly desirable  veins  and  wells.  When  the  heifers 
come  into  milk  they  may  be  developed  by  good  care  and  feed- 
ing. Other  things  being  equal,  they  will  be  more  productive 
than  the  descendants  of  a  bull  less  developed  in  these  respects. 

Good  vs.  Poor  Sires 

Pointing  to  the  great  value  of  a  good  sire  and  to  the  utter 
worthlessness  of  a  poor  one  are  the  experiments  that  were 
carried  on  at  the  Missouri  Experiment  Station  by  Prof.  Eckles, 
who  says: 

"In  1884  the  Missouri  Agricultural  College  bought  four 
registered  Jersey  cows,  and  the  entire  herd  we  have  on  hand 
today  is  descended  from  these  cows.  Of  course,  herd  bulls 
have  been  purchased  from  outside,  but  no  female  has  been 
bought.  Since  1892  complete  milk  and  butter-fat  records  have 
been  kept  of  every  cow.  Up  until  1901  practically  every 
female  was  retained  in  the  herd,  regardless  of  her  dairy 
qualities.  These  conditions  give  an  opportunity  to  study  the 
effect  of  sires  which  can  hardly  be  duplicated  anywhere. 

Missouri  Rioter 

"The  first  bull  used  was  Missouri  Rioter,  a  son  of  Bachelor 
of  St.  Lambert.  There  is  no  record  indicating  the  dairy 


[75] 


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£76] 


VAN  PELT'S  COW  DEMONSTRATION 

quality  of  his  dam.  In  fact,  his  sire  is  the  only  animal  in  his 
pedigree  known  to  be  a  strong  breeder.  This  bull  was  a  very 
weak  breeder.  His  daughters  averaged  4,336  pounds  of  milk 
per  year,  while  their  dams  averaged  5,380,  a  decline  on  the 
average  of  1,044  pounds  of  milk  per  year  each.  The  average 
fat  production  of  the  dams  was  234  pounds,  while  the  daugh- 
ters averaged  only  216,  a  decline  of  18  pounds  per  cow  from 
the  dams  to  the  daughters.  *  *  *  * 

Hugorotus 

"The  next  bull  used  in  this  herd  was  Hugorotus.  He  was 
a  cheap  bull  without  any  high-testing  animals  in  his  pedigree. 
His  mother,  however,  is  said  to  have  been  a  good  cow.  The 
daughters  of  this  bull  were  inferior  to  their  dams  in  milk  pro- 
duction, but  on  account  of  a  higher  per  cent  of  fat  they  gained 
slightly  in  fat  production. 

"Ten  daughters  fell  a  total  of  3,770  pounds  of  milk  per 
year  behind  their  dams  but  gained  100  pounds  of  fat.  The 
general  results  of  using  this  bull  were  disastrous.  In  fact, 
the  poorest  animals  ever  in  the  herd  were  his  offspring.  The 
averages  shown  are  made  as  good  as  they  are  only  by  the 
fact  that  two  full  sisters  sired  by  this  bull,  through  some 
'nick,'  proved  first-class  animals. 

"When  the  herd  was  culled  on  milk  records  alone,  nine 
out  of  the  11  daughters  of  this  bull,  then  in  the  herd,  were 
sold  to  the  butcher.  The  two  remaining  were  the  full  sisters 
mentioned.  As  long  as  this  bull  was  in  the  herd,  the  general 
tendency  was  backward.  *  *  *  * 

Lome  of  Meridale 

"The  next  bull  at  the  head  of  the  herd  was  Lome  of  Meri- 
dale. This  bull  had  a  splendid  pedigree  from  the  standpoint 
of  records  and  his  offspring  show  the  results.  His  daughters, 
with  one  exception,  were  all  superior  to  the  dams.  The  aver- 
age milk  production  was  raised  from  4,542  pounds  per  year  to 
5,751 ;  the  fat  production,  from  220  to  280  pounds  per  year.  At 
butter-fat  prices  the  10  daughters  of  Lome  of  Meridale  re- 
turned each  year  $150  more  than  their  dams.  What  a  dif- 
ference from  the  results  from  Missouri  Rioter.  * 

Missouri  Rioter  3d 

"The  next  herd  bull  was  Missouri  Rioter  3d.  This  bull 
was  the  son  of  Missouri  Rioter  and  was  the  only  really  good 
thing  this  latter  sire  left  in  the  herd.  The  remarkable  qualities 
of  Missouri  Rioter  3d  may  come  in  part  from  his  dam,  which 

[77] 


All  the  desirable  points  of  the  head  are  here 


[78] 


VAN   PELT'S   COW  DEMONSTRATION 

was  the  best  cow  in  the  herd  up  to  that  time.     She,  like  the 
sire,  was  the  offspring  of  Bachelor  of  St.  Lambert. 

"The  best  cows  ever  in  our  herd  were  sired  by  Missouri 
Rioter  3d.  From  dams  with  average  records  of  4,609  pounds 
of  milk  he  sired  daughters  whose  records  average  7,154 
pounds.  The  dams  averaged  238  pounds  fat  per  year  and 
the  daughters  raised  this  to  348.  Ten  daughters  of  this  bull 
produced  $275  worth  of  fat  per  year  more  than  their  dams. 
*  *  *  *  This  bull  was  raised  on  the  college  farm  and, 
as  is  often  the  case,  because  he  was  a  home  product  instead 
of  coming  from  a  distant  state,  he  was  not  counted  of  any 
special  value,  and  was  sold  from  the  herd  without  any  record 
ever  being  made  as  to  his  purchaser  and  was  never  transferred. 
His  remarkable  breeding  value  was  recognized  when  it  was 
too  late,  and  now  we  would  like  the  chance  of  giving  $1,000 
to  have  him  back. 

Minnette's  Pedro 

"Minnette's  Pedro  is  the  last  herd  bull  with  a  sufficient 
number  of  daughters  to  give  figures  of  any  value.  The  herd 
remained  practically  at  a  standstill  while  he  was  at  its  head. 
In  general  this  was  not  a  very  prepotent  bull  since  we  have 
wide  variations  and  a  lack  of  uniformity  in  his  offspring. 
Among  them  are  some  excellent  cows  and  some  worthless. 
From  the  good  dams  we  secured  good  daughters ;  from  in- 
ferior dams,  the  same  quality  of  daughters." 

Summing  Up 

Of  the  five  sires  used  in  the  history  of  the  herd  two 
increased  the  production,  two  lessened  it,  and  by  the  use  of 
the  fifth  the  herd  remained  at  a  standstill.  Were  records  kept 
of  results  attained  on  all  farms  they  would  not  in  many  cases 
be  found  to  be  better,  and  in  many  herds  they  would  be 
much  worse. 

By  the  use  of  one  bull  110  pounds  of  butter-fat,  worth 
at  least  $30,  is  added  to  the  average  annual  production  per 
cow.  If  in  his  lifetime  he  sires  100  daughters,  each  of  which 
works  for  10  years ;  he  has  proven  his  value.  By  the  use  of 
another  bull  18  pounds  of  butter-fat  worth  over  $4  is  lost  from 
the  average  animal  production  per  cow.  If  in  this  bull's  life- 
time he  sires  100  daughters,  each  of  which  works  for  10  years, 
his  absolute  worthlessness  is  proven. 


T79] 


Width  of  hip  essential  to  reproduction 


[80] 


CHAPTER  IX 

The  Accurate  Proof  of  the 
Cow's  Value 

Experience,  care  and  good  judgment  exercised  in  exam- 
ining cows  soon  lead  to  efficiency  in  detecting  the  points,  the 
presence  or  absence  of  which  indicate  production.  Especially 
valuable  is  the  knowledge  gained  by  a  close  study  of  the 
world's  greatest  cows  and  fixing  thoroughly  in  mind  the 
peculiar  characteristics  that  account  for  their  great  work.  In 
fact,  it  is  possible  and  advisable  to  study  them  so  carefully 
that  a  distinct  picture  becomes  impressed  upon  the  mind's 
eye,  and  then  it  is  always  possible  to  use  them  as  models  by 
which  to  measure  other  cows. 

Mistakes  in  the  selection  of  animals  should  not  be  a 
cause  for  discouragement.  The  best  of  judges  make  plenty 
of  them,  and  few  are  the  herds,  indeed,  in  which  there  are  not 
counter feits  when  judged  by  the  pail  and  churn.  Accurate 
as  may  be  the  ability  of  selecting  good  cows,  and  discrimi- 
nating against  poor  ones,  no  judge  has  yet  become  sufficiently 
accomplished  to  prophesy  the  true  productivity  of  the  in- 
dividual cow. 

A  careful  consideration  of  the  points  to  be  observed  in 
selecting  cows  will  invariably  enable  one  to  choose  a  good 
cow,  but,  after  he  has  chosen,  he  knows  not  just  how  good 
the  cow  may  or  may  not  be.  The  eye  is  not  accurate  enough 
to  determine  within  a  few  pounds,  or  sometimes  within  a  few 
thousand  pounds,  of  how  much  milk  a  certain  cow  has  the 
power  of  producing  in  a  year.  Neither  is  it  possible  to  know 
within  1  or  2  per  cent  how  rich  her  milk  may  be.  So  long 
as  it  is  true  that  a  careful  consideration  of  the  outward  ap- 
pearance of  the  cow  is  no  more  accurate  than  this,  although 
being  a  valuable  and  absolutely  necessary  guide  in  selecting 
animals  to  add  to  the  herd,  it  is  well,  in  learning  which  ones 
to  keep  and  which  ones  to  dispose  of,  to  supplement  it  with 
additional  information.  This  will  give  the  accurate  worth  of 
the  herd,  since  its  future  character  depends  largely  upon  the 
merit  of  the  individuals  in  it. 

The  most  accurate  method  of  learning  the  cow's  real, 
productive  power  is  the  simplest,  and  yet  the  mere  suggestion 
of  it  seems  such  a  bugbear  to  many  that  it  is  the  least  used. 
This  fact  is  not  only  true  of  the  farmer  and  dairyman  but  ap- 

[81] 


Masculinity  and  character 


[82] 


VAN  PELT'S   COW  DEMONSTRATION 

plies  also  to  a  large  percentage  of  breeders  of  no  small  repu- 
tation. Great  changes  have  taken  place  in  most  breeds  dur- 
ing the  past  few  years,  and  greater  changes  are  yet  to  follow. 
In  the  future  the  famous  breeder  will  be  the  one  who  knows 
his  cows  to  a  certainty,  having  learned  them  through  the 
only  accurate  manner,  that  of  weighing  and  testing  the  milk 
and  keeping  the  records  up  to  date  and  prizing  them  as  he 
now  does  that  which  the  pedigree  and  conformation  imply. 
Then,  and  not  until  then,  will  the  greatest  advancement  ensue, 
for  few,  indeed,  are  the  breeders  who  can  boast  of  the  fact 
that  they  never  sold  their  best  cow  without  knowing  how 
really  great  she  was. 

Keeping  Records 

Furthermore,  when  all  who  term  themselves  breeders  of 
pure-bred  dairy  cattle  weigh  and  test  the  milk  of  their  cows, 
the  general  farmer  will  soon  do  likewise,  and  it  is  then  that  he 
will  appreciate  the  blood  that  the  breeder  has  to  dispose  of 
through  his  bull  calves. 

Not  more  than  one  year  of  record  keeping  is  necessary 
to  convince  the  most  skeptical  that  blood  will  tell  and  that 
like  produces  like,  and  records  will  point  conclusively  to  the 
fact  that  certain  breeds  and  certain,  families  are  decidedly  more 
productive  than  others  and  that  a  still  greater  difference  exists 
between  individuals. 

Continuous  weighing  and  testing  of  milk,  keeping  in 
touch  with  the  records,  and  by  their  use  selecting  the  best 
cows  to  keep  and  those  to  sell  to  the  man  who  has  not  time 
to  keep  records;  the  use  of  good  sires  from  productive  an- 
cestry and  raising  the  best  calves  from  the  best  cows  will 
result  in  time  in  a  wonderful  herd. 

In  fact,  it  matters  little  how  poor  the  herd  being  milked 
today,  careful  and  accurate  selection  of  cows  and  sires  to 
mate  with  them  will  insure  in  a  few  generations  a  herd  so 
great  that  if  properly  fed  and  cared  for  it  will  have  few 
superiors,  even  including  the  breeder's  herd. 

Establishing  records  for  individual  cows  with  the  scales 
and  Babcock  test  demonstrates  and  proves  the  successes  and 
failures  in  selecting  cows.  There  is  no  better  source  of  in- 
formation for  establishing  knowledge  pertaining  to  the  types, 
breeds  and  families  of  cows  that  are  desirable.  By  learning 
the  mistakes  once  made  one  is  in  a  position  to  guard  against 
the  same  mistakes  the  second  time,  while,  great  as  may  be  the 
mistake,  if  the  maker  never  learns  of  it,  he  will  readily  make 
the  same  mistake  a  second,  third  and  indefinite  number  of 
times. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  matters  little  how  great  the  success 
once  made,  if  the  maker  never  learns  of  it,  he  is  not  in  a 
position  to  repeat  it  with  certainty. 

[83] 


Width  of  udder 


[84] 


VAN  PELT'S  COW  DE'M0&ST<RATl6k;.  S  '•$  '•  A 

Cost  of  Production 

Greatness  of  production  as  proven  by  weighing  and  test- 
ing the  milk  is  not  the  complete  record  of  the  greatness  of 
the  cow,  for  the  question  still  remains  as  to  the  cost  of  pro- 
duction. And,  after  all,  this  is  the  vital  question  and  the  one 
that  is  growing  in  importance  continually.  It  is  the  rule 
that  the  cow  which  yields  largely  of  milk  and  butter-fat  is 
the  economical  producer,  but  it  often  occurs  that  of  two  cows 
producing  the  same  amounts  of  milk  and  butter-fat  in  a  given 
time  one  of  them  does  so  at  a  much  less  cost  for  feed. 

True  it  is  that  the  difference  in  profits  is  not  so  largely 
governed  by  the  cost  of  feed  as  in  the  yield,  but,  as  conditions 
change,  land  becomes  higher  in  price,  feeds  and  labor  scarcer 
and  more  expensive,  this  difference  will  widen. 

Many  dairymen  even  now  weigh  the  food  consumed  by 
their  individual  cows,  and  by  doing  so  reduce  their  business 
to  the  same  commercial  basis  considered  absolutely  necessary 
in  other  lines  of  business.  It  pays,  and  pays  well,  for,  if  in 
no  other  way,  it  teaches  the  feeder  the  capacity  and  the 
ability  of  each  cow.  It  enables  him  to  exact  the  best  work 
from  her.  Practical  lessons  of  this  sort  are  the  valuable  ones 
in  rendering  reliable  the  opinions  relative  to  both  the  selection 
and  feeding  of  cows  for  great  and  economical  records. 


uitiiHiiiiimiiiHHiiiiiiiiiiitiittiiiHiimiiiiiiiiiin 


Kimbairs  Dairy  Farmer 

WATERLOO,  IOWA 


"X  T  OT  an  ordinary  farm  paper  going  to  ordinary  farmers.  I 

l^y      It  'ls  a  leader  for  the  leaders.     It  is  published  in  the  = 

!  interest  of  the  men  who  breed,  raise,  milk,  feed,  own,  j 

develop  and  sell  dairy  cattle.     The  best  farmers  in  any  com-  | 

|    munity  are  the  dairy  farmers.     They  not  only  raise  and  milk  | 

|    special-purpose  dairy  cattle  but  they  farm  as  much  as  and  bet-  | 

|    ter  than  any  other  class  of  farmers  on  earth.     They  raise  good  | 

E    crops,  because  they  have  plenty  of  fertilizer  produced  by  their  1 

|    dairy  cattle  to  mix  with  their  brains.    They  raise  good  hogs —  | 
|    hogs  and  milk  go  hand   in  hand.     They  raise  good  horses — 

|    good  sheep — good  poultry.     They  are  the  live  wires  in  their  | 

|    own  community,  and  their  dairy  cattle  and  the  milk  and  cream  | 

|    they  sell  daily  give  them  a  continuous  income,  making  them  an  | 
|    especially  desirable  buying  class. 

|    Kimball's  Dairy  Farmer  is  for  these  important  farmers. 

1     Its  publishers  are  young  men,  raised  on  the  farm,  educated  in  1 

|     agricultural    colleges,    and    now   successfully    conducting   dairy  | 

|     farms  of  their  own.     They  sell  annually  $20,000  to  $30,000  | 
E    worth  of  dairy  cattle  from  their  own  farms. 

1    Kimball's  Dairy  Farmer's  publishers  have  conducted  educational  | 

|     dairy  trains  over  all  the  railroads  in  the  central  west.     They  | 

|    organize  dairy  associations,  address  short  courses,  agricultural  = 

|     college  meetings,  are  constantly  in  the  field  doing  educational  : 

|    work  in  dairying  and  have  judged  dairy  cattle  and  delivered  | 

lectures  at  all  the  big  dairy  shows  and  many  of  the  state  fairs  j 

=    in  the  United  States  and  Canada  during  the  past  two  years,  j 

|     No  other  publication  in  America  approaches  the  work  of  our  I 

|     organization  in  the  above  mentioned  respect.     Kimball's  Dairy  | 

1     Farmer  has  been  built  that  way.     Today  it  has  a  tremendous  | 

circulation  among  the  big,  prosperous  dairy  cattle  breeders  and  | 
1     farmers  of  America. 

|     It  is  recognized  everywhere  as  "The  Foremost  Dairy  Paper." 

SUBSCRIPTION  RATES 

One  year,  50c.  Three  years,  with  Van  Pelt's  Cow 
Demonstration  Book,  $1.00.  Add  25c  a  year  for 
Canadian  subscriptions  and  $1.00  a  year  for  for- 
eign subscriptions. 

E  •  E 

^IIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIIIIIIIIHIIMIINIIIMMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIIM^ 

[87] 


c*Water(bo,  low  as 


'*'* 


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